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----

August 19, 2005

Today as I post, I feel a deep sense of gratitude to all the honest people of this sometimes troubled world. Yesterday, I took Bashey up to Rutland for a much needed grooming. While I was waiting, I drove over daughter Jill's house to visit them and take another look at their beautiful garden. I also had a craving for Ron and Louise's chicken eggs from their farm across the road. Now that I have experienced these naturally colored eggs, yes, they are different colors (green, pink, speckled and brown), no other eggs taste good to me anymore. Their chickens run all around the yard and gardens chasing each other here and there. Very healthy chicks produce very healthy, tasty eggs. Anyway back to my story. As I was leaving to pick up Bashey, I put my wallet on top of my car so I could put the eggs in the cooler. I promptly forgot the wallet and drove off in a hurry to get to Bashy before the 1 p.m. pick up time. Apparently, the wallet flew off somewhere on the Whipple Hollow Road and spewed contents here and there. One of God's angels in the shape of a Pittsford Highway worker, one Shawn Erickson, saw my wallet on the road, retrieved it and took it to the Town Offices where Dottie Wheeler took over. She began a vigorous search to locate me before I left the area. I paid for Bashey by check so never noticed the wallet was gone. I drove happily alongin cellular black out over to Hartford, NY when my cell phone beeped as service was restored and there was a message from Dotti. I pulled over to the side of the road spoke with her and then immediately called my daughter, Jill who went up to the Town Office to retrieve my wallet. As with most people, I carry a lot of important papers in that wallet. The money is not really important, it is the "stuff" of my life that is. Thank God for angels like Dotti and Shawn.

The weather has finally changed to what I consider more normal August weather for this area. I actually started the furnace in Bearfoot this a.m. since it was 62 in there and I am a wimp when it comes to cold. Today I am having lunch with a lovely lady from Dorset, VT who is 88 years and has had a stroke awhile ago. She was very close to my mom when mom was alive.

Am once again driving around in my little car with the big red kayak on the roof since it is not an easy task taking it on and off. I had a fantastic bike ride the day before on Rt. 149. Almost 9 miles of tough hills in the heat. I walked two hills and actually sat under a tree for a few mins to cool off. The views of the croplands here with the mountains in the background bring tears to my eyes. The corn is as pretty here as it is in Vermont folks. The land does not recognize boundaries created by man.
To be continued -

August 16, 2005

Hi from Hartford, New York. Yes, Bearfoot is once again parked in my sister and bro-in-law's backyard. I moved over here on Sunday. It has been very hot and humid in Vermont this summer and Bearfoot needs 30 amps to run the AC unit safely and efficiently. My bro-in-law, Emory had a 30 amp outlet installed awhile ago. I was plugged into a 20 amp outlet at my son's and the AC unit ran a great deal due to the intense heat. The plug itself was frightfully hot as was my breaker box inside the camper. Not good!! It actually damaged the plug itself. Emory is replacing the end for me. I have wonderful Guardian Angels who travel with me. Thanks be to God for not having a serious fire.

As you might expect, since I moved over here, it has cooled off a bit. I took a lovely bike trip in Pawlet before I packed up on Sunday. As I biked along the Mettawee River, the sheep were grazing along the river. Their sweet soft sounds brought me to a stop. I just stood and closed my eyes absorbing the peace and beauty of that valley. I put some photos on the sight since I now have high speed wireless. The rain all day was soft and welcoming. Of course, when it was time to load the new bike, there was no way it was going on the back of the MH. I loaded it right in the coach. I have ordered a cover for it and will carry it on the ladder when I can protect it. My old retired Raleigh now belongs to my son's family.

Wednesday, Sebastian has an appt. with a groomer in Rutland, VT. This poor dog is unable to see there is so much hair hanging in his face. It will be a big job clipping and cleaning him. The groomer I had originally planned to use much earlier than this has been taken ill. It has been a scramble trying to find another who is not booked through Sept. I have a busy week planned but today is a rest and catch up day.

More later-

Pawlet, VT as I bike

August 12 photos

These are not in order due to "computer mystery" but they are as follows: Top, left to right; Me, my sister, Gloria and my niece, Laurie having lunch in NYC. Next is Sebastian dressed up by the Waite girls in a pink bonnet. He is very patient with this kind of "fun". Then we have my son, Matt, Kellie, his wife and daughter, Lily on board their new boat on our outing to Lake Champlain. The one of the rickshaw is pretty self-explanatory. While in NYC, we hired one of these things peddaled by a sweating man who couldn't understand where we wanted to be dropped off. The seat is that thing is not large enough for our three bottoms as you can tell.

August 10, 2005

Just tried again to insert photos and it is still a no go situation. I hope you will all be patient because I have some really nice photos which I will insert as soon as I get to a high speed connection. Just returned from delivering Bearfoot to the service garage in Manchester VT. I walked from the garage to the Jelly Mill up in Manchester Center. Had to be 3 miles uphill and with Bash pulling me. It was so hot. I had water but I didn't have any for Bash but was able to find a small creek where he soaked his hot feet and got a drink. We met my daughter-in-law, Kellie at her dentist for a ride back to Pawlet. Now I don't need to bike today. My ride yesterday on my new bike was spectacular. I went out on Rt. 30 towards Granville, NY and then turned off on a nice side road that goes to W. Pawlet, VT. Out and back was 14 miles but it was only slightly hilly. Hot nonetheless! My new bike shifts so smoothly and quietly and what great brakes. The only adjustment needed is the seat is tilted up too much for a female anatomy. I am walking like a cowgirl who rode the range all day. I stopped at Mach's Market in Pawlet on the way back for a cold water and a homemade choc. cookie.

Speaking of cookies, just finished baking a couple of dozen choc. chip cookies to ship to Emily who is still at camp. She will be home this coming weekend. We have been talking about going to a corn maze and it turns out there are several in the area. I hope to take a few of the grandkids and their parents. There is one called the A-Maze Maze. What a great idea. I remember as a child and even as a young adult, running through the tall corn fields with other kids. The corn here is as tall as an elephants eye for sure. Maybe even a giraffe's eye.

I drove up to Castleton to hear the Brass Connection on the village green last eve. They have a series of free concerts throughout the summer. It was delightful. I took Sebastian. He is such a gentleman in public and what a "male magnet". You have heard of "chick magnets" , well my pup attracks a lot of male attention. They all want to know what his breeding is. Pity they don't ask me what my name is and blah, blah, blah. Oh well-

later-

August 8, 2005

Since the arrival of the new boat in this family, we have been out on the lakes in this region a bit. Yesterday, we put in at South Bay in Whitehall, NY and motored out into the narrows of Lake Champlain. Then we went north just above the Ticonderoga paper mill. It was nearing dinner time so we turned around and went back to the Finch and Chubb at Lock 12 in Whitehall for a sumptuous dinner. We loaded the boat before going to dinner which was a good idea since it was dark afterwards. Each of us was wiped out too from the wind and the sunshine. Lilly (5) never made it through dinner but fell asleep in her mom's lap. Their strawberry rhubard crisp is worth going over there even if you don't order dinner.

I went for a bike ride the day before yesterday. It was really quite hot even at 10 a.m. I had mapped out an 8 mile route that included some gravel road. I was eager to ride my route. The bike had begun making a funny rubbing noise on my previous trip to Danby and it seemed like it had increased in volume. But I rode on, stopping to take some wonderful pictures of the farmland and the incredible cloud formations that came in on the heels of a cold front. It was mostly uphill. The corn crop is the highest I have ever seen it. I will take photos and put them on this site. Finally, the noise was so loud, I became concerned. I turned around and went back down the hills. After parking the bike on the front lawn to remind my son to look at it, I went inside Bearfoot. I was just changeing when I heard what sounded like a gunshot close by. I saw the family dogs fleeing looking over there shoulders. My first thought was that someone had shot near the house by mistake. Then as I continued to look, my bike just keeled over. I knew then that a tire had blown up. I thank my Guardian Angels that it happened in the yard. I have been thinking that I needed to replace my old bike anyway. Today found me at the Schwin bike shop in Rutland buying a super bike with shocks on the front!!! No more bone pounding bumps. I am replacing the tire on the old Raleigh and leaving it here for an extra bike. I have been many a mile on that 15 year old bike.

This afternoon, I washed my dirty car since it is going into the shop tomorrow for service. You know it is like taking a bath before you go to the doctor or cleaning the house before the cleaning people come. While I had the hose out I decided Bearfoot could use a bit of cleanup too. Now we are all bright and shiny. The marine wax I had put on Bearfoot in June has held up and kept it from holding onto the bugs and dirt. Bearfoot goes into the shop (big shop) on Wednesday for service in Manchester. I guess I will spend the day in Manchester hangin' out while I wait.

Emily will return on Saturday. I have missed her. She has been learning to jump her horse and reported that she had taken a spill. All part of the learning but still scary.

Still very hot and humid here. Cool nights though - 60's Great sleeping!!

August 4, 2005

Once again, I am unable to load photos of our grand trip to New York City. We left on an early train from Albany, NY and rolled into Penn Station mid-morning. My niece, Laurie and my sister, Gloria went along. The escalators and elevators weren't working and it became quite a feat to haul the suitcase and backpack up and down. I am afraid of the escalators to begin with so you can imagine. We stayed near Central Park which was nice. We saw a play, Mama Mia. Our seats were in the second row orchestra. We could see the young faces very vividly. The dance energy was just wonderful. We had to put cotton in our ears since one of the full-length speakers was close on our right side. When we left the theater, a bicycle-taxi offered us a ride, all three in that narrow seat. It was a hot day and he was peddaling uphill at times. The funniest part was when my sister told him that we would not tip a dead man - to please let us off. A visit that evening to Little Italy for dinner topped off the day. On every corner was a purse vendor and we certainly explored every one to be sure we found just the one we were looking for. Part of the fun of street buying is the bargaining for the appropriate price. Starbucks was graced quite frequently by our presence and since they, too, have a place on every corner, that was convenient. Monday brought a ride in a horse drawn carriage through Central Park, a visit to Ground Zero and more walking/exploring. Caught the late afternoon train back to Albany. The ride along the Hudson River brought back many memories for me since I had been up and down the River a few times on boats many years ago. The two days were enjoyed by all.

I brought Bearfoot back over to my son's in Pawlet the following day where I discovered that my car had a flat tire. I hauled out the compressor and pumped it up only to find it flat again this morning just when I had planned to drive to Rutland to pick up a few things. A local mechanic was called and the tire was plugged and back on in about half an hour. I did my errands and met my other daughter, Jill and my grandson, Joe for lunch at Tapas, a local Rutland pub. It was great seeing them again and gave me a chance to wish them a safe, joyful trip to Maine for a week with their family plus a few extras. They will be 12 in all.

My son and daughter-in-law just bought a speed boat. We have been enjoying rides on Lake St. Catherine each night after dinner. Last night we buzzed Camp Catherine Capers where their daughter, Emily, is for two weeks. There she was on the dock jumping up and down. They let her swim out and go for a 20 min. ride with us. It was good to see her. She has been learning to jump on the horses. Since I rode for years, I have given her lots of advice but yesterday her horse stumbled going over the jump. She actually fell off but landed on her feet.

I went out today with the car and Sebastian to scout out a route for me to bike. I found a fair route that involves quite a bit of steep gravel road and the main highway which has some guard rails. It is 7 miles and I am going to try it tomorrow since it has cooled off a bit. I only wish I had a bike with shocks and wider tires. We went out tonight for a ride up through the cornfields where we saw many deer, some coon and fox. Beautiful sunset too. It is truly beautiful here in these hills. Too bad the winters are so snowy, cold and long.

Young Joe reported that his bean patch has produced more beans than they can freeze or eat. No surprise there!! He is quite the gardener.

More later-

July 29, 2005

First photo is of Lillian and Emily holding Bashey. Second is the Pawlet Volunteer FD auction. Third photo is of Emily at the Morgan Horse Museum in Shelburne, VT.
I am going over to my sister's house for a few days during which we will take the train to NYC. Kind of an early birthday trip for me. My sister, Gloria, neice, Laurie are going for just an overnight. But we are seeing Mama Mia and taking a tour of Central Park by horse and buggy. I am very excited about going because it has been at least 15 years since my last NYC trip. Back in those days it was not particularly safe, even Times Square had become a huge drug dealing area. Mayor Guilani cleaned it up a great deal. I wish Richmond, VA could borrow him for awhile to clean up our City.

Lots has happened since my last post. My granddaughter, Emily who is 12 years old took Bearfoot northward to Shelburne, VT for two days. It poured the entire time we were there but we still had fun. We visited Church Street where they were having their annual sidewalk days but it was teaming rain so most of it was inside. We saw the Morgan Horse museum in Shelburne. Lovely art there. We tried to get into see Echo, an interactive museum on the Waterfront in Burlington but because it was so close to closing time and they still would have charged us full price for a half hour, we declined on that one. We drove around UVM so Emily could see what it looked like. And most of all, we ate and we shopped. Great food and Emily is a great companion. The trip back down Rt 7 and 22A was so smooth, Emily fell asleep on the sofa with Sebastian. After Fair Haven, VT it does get a bit rolly and anyone with motion sickness would probably have a problem.

Last night, we went down to the annual Pawlet Volunteer Fire Dept. Auction which has been held for at least 35 years right down in front of the fire house. Used to be Bus Mars, the local auctioneer who did the calling but now it is his son who is carrying on the tradition. I was pleased to see family members and old friends that I haven't seen in a long while. My children were born in Pawlet and we lived in Pawlet for many years. Of course, my son and his family still live and operate their business in Pawlet. The women of the Dept. serve up the best sausage sandwiches as well as chicken not to forget the pumpkin cookies. About 8:30 p.m., the temperature dropped drastically and we headed for home. I tucked in with a cup of hot chocolate and the new Harry Potter book with Sebastian curled in beside me.

Watch for pictures in the next couple of days. Thanks for taggin' along on my journey. I can't believe it is August already. Another busy month and a week and I will be headed back to Virginia for more new adventures. In the meantime, there is much more to come----

July 27, 2005

I am in Pawlet parked next to my son's house. Came down yesterday from Florence. My sister's dog, Rose, a minature poodle spent the weekend with us. She left today. It was sad to see her go. Sebastian and I really liked having her around. There are two male chows here so I was a bit nervous with them around Rosey. She is only 12 lbs but they seemed fine with her. Sebastian gets along with both the dogs here. It is still very hot and humid Emily and I are taking off with the camper tomorrow morn to Shelburne, VT for two days of fun in the Burlington area. Burlington is Vermont's largest city and is located on the shores of Lake Champlain. I unloaded Namaskar from the roof of the car since we won't be needing a kayak. But will be bringing along Emily's bike. More later--

Photos of Chittenden Res trip

First pic is heading out towards that further peak, Second pic is a sm. cove with suspension bridge and waterfall out of the wind; Third pic is a good overall view. You can see a ski area in the back ground, I think that is Killington; Fourth is a pic going more North showing the wave action today.

July 20, 2005

The green beans are ready to be picked. The first "mess" of beans has been eaten along with a batch of fresh pesto served on pasta. Yummy! Joe (gardening grandson) was excited to the point where he actually ate green food. As a 9 year old, he is not much of a vegetarian. Maybe this gardening project will change that.

We went to Castleton last night to their weekly free concert summer series. Since the weather was iffy, we were diverted to the College Fine Arts Center to hear the Unknown Blue Band with blues singer, Sandra Wright. The entire program was meant to honor the late blues man, Big Joe Burello. I am uncertain of the spelling of his name. I have seen him live in concert at Valcour Island, NY, up on Lake Champlain where they held shows weekly many years ago. Sandra Wright was/is spectacular. She can belt out a song with pure soul. Vermont claims her as their own siince she has resided in Ludlow, Vt for many years but I would bet she comes from Virginia or North Carolina. The band presented an 11 year old blues singer from VT who has made a CD with other youngters. called "Even Kids Get the Blues". The child has a great deal of talent and will certainly become well-known in the future. I was happy to be back at my Alma Mater in an air-conditioned auditorium away from the heat and mosquitos.
Since I have been in this area this summer, I have enjoyed several of these free concerts given in Castleton usually on the village green. Satin and Steel, a local jazz band, brought out 1200 people last Tues.

It is very clear and sunny today but with very little humidity. I am headed out for an excursion in Namaskar, my kayak, to the Chittenden Reservoir. Hopefully, I will spot the Loons but even if not, I will take some pictures to post on this sight.

Later- See the next post for more photos of the kayaking trip

July 18, 2005

Birthday Boy, Will at age 15.

Today is my eldest child's birthday. I will drive over there this afternoon for a dinner party. He and his family are vacationing at Lake St. Catherine in Poultney, VT. This morning I hung out with my teen grandsons to watch Lance Armstrong ride the 15th Stage of the Tour de France. I was so inspired I went out and rode the 7th Stage of the Tour de Florence. It was (is) terribly hot and muggy. I was dragging my butt when I returned to Bearfoot. I sat for a half hour with a cold pack on my neck. Now it is time to put some drinking water in Bearfoot's tank.

Grandson Joe's green beans are almost ready to pick and the corn is growing so fast, I swear I can hear it grow. We had a nice dinner party last night for Grandson Will's 15th birthday with ribs on the grill and a Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Cake. This morning I was awakened by a little knocking on the door. Bashey went berserk with barking. There was my little granddaughter, Gracie in her pj's. She goes to bed early so -- well you know. I have been burning the candle into the night finishing up 1776, McCullough's book on George Washington. Now I have started Mr.Darcy's Daughters. Written in the age of Jane Austen, it is very entertaining. I had read the previous book, Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife. That was hysterically funny. A witty and sexy read.

Set up my table in the house here so I could do sessions on family members. It feels good to assist those I love in their lives. Energy work done on just one family member helps everyone in the household.

Sebastian is a bit depressed since he has to be confined on a leash and a rather short one at that due to the terrible mosquitos. I know he will rejoice when he is in open safe spaces with no bugs.

A few photos

Sebastian Lewis
Namaskar at Chittenden Reservoir On my biking route

July 15, 2005

Alpine Lake, near Saratoga, NY




A fiery sunset in Florence, Vermont

Another glorious summer day here in Vermont. Big puffy clouds and hot sunshine, I swear I can hear the corn grow. Will and I rode our bikes up the road to the neighbor farmer's garden stand out by the mailbox. I picked up a jar of Blackberry preserves and one of Blueberry preserves. Such incredible abundance surrounds me. I went out early this morning to find my daughter, Jill in the garden tying up the beans. Young Joseph planted and nurtured those beans. He has been away for a few days and will be delighted to find small beans coming along when he returns later today.
Had a call from my two friends, Pat and Sheila aboard Miss Daisy. Sheila reported they were in Washington State. I admire their fluidity in exploring this great Country. It is always fun to hear of their adventures as fultimers.
I am going to devote some space in this post for photos. I hope you enjoy them.

July 14, 2005

Such fun being able to upload photos now. This is me and Bearfoot parked in Florence, Vermont at my daughter's home. We have been here over two weeks now and plan to spend another week. I have it made. Wireless internet (yes, I finally am through their firewall) and cable tv right in the MH. I have added photos to some of the older posts so you might want to look at them.

Today, it was again very hot here but I had to move Bearfoot up to a Brandon, VT campground to dump the holding tanks and pick up some propane gas. I had plenty of volunteers wishing to ride along. I was fortunate to have my two teenage grandson's, Patrick and Will plus their two friends, Brittany and Joey. The return trip was a bit hairy since I came upon the roadside mowing machine right in the middle of the steepest part of the hill coming into this hollow. I had to come to a full stop since he was halfway in my lane. But Bearfoot did it with some strain but certainly doable. It was a good lesson for me since I have not had the opportunity to take Bearfoot on any steep roads. My brother-in-law, Emory, gave me some helpful hints regarding the transmission on my vehicle and it really paid off today. We arrived home and drove Bearfoot up on a couple of stout pieces of wood on the side that had been sinking to China. Now we are level - sigh! Shortly after getting set up, a big old T-storm came through cooling things off a bit. Sebastian and I took a nap during the storm.

Big crowd for dinner again tonight. That is the way with big families. Ended up with s'mores in the backyard over an open fire while we batted "skeeters". Those buggers are here in force. Reminds me of the old days in NC where we referred to them as the State Bird.

This weekend we will celebrate my grandson Will's 15th birthday. My youngest daughter, Theresa and her husband, Alex plus grandson Colin will be here and I hope to go kayaking on the Chittenden Reservoir again. They are going to be dropping Colin off at Conservation Camp in Bomoseen, VT. CC is a week-long camp that teaches youngsters about Vermont, the natural world, ecology as well as gun safety. There are opportunities for fishing, canoeing, swimming and camping skills as well.

My daughter Jill and I took the afternoon yesterday to go to lunch and then toured on down to JK Adams woodworking factory in Dorset, VT. It was fun to be out alone with Jill who is a busy, hardworking Mom. She cooks huge meals just about everynight for this family as well as all the housekeeping and gardening that goes with a home here in rural Vermont.

More later--

July 10, 2005, Florence, VT

Photo of Bearfoot at Lake Robertson, VA in May.

Wow! It seems forever since I have been able to post here. I have encountered all kinds of problems with online availability. I was using a very slow dial-up modem for short periods of time in this busy household. Then my grandson got their cable dial up running and I was able to use my wireless high speed but only for a short time. It wouldn't let me on again after that and it wasn't until just a short time ago I was told that the very same grandson had installed a firewall on the system. No wonder I couldn't get on. Now I am on dial-up again until he gives me the codes to over ride the firewall. Computers!! Or is it grandsons? It is always busy here, teens coming and going plus two little ones. I am still riding my bike 12 miles every other day. I feel much better when I am actively engaged in a vigorous type of exercise. Tomorrow I have an appt to have my broken tooth fixed in Castleton, VT where I lived a long while ago. My appt is in the afternoon so since the kayak is still loaded on the car, I plan to go over early and launch on Lake Bomoseen for a couple of hours. Lake Bomoseen is actually the largest lake in Vermont totally within the bounds of the State. There are others but most of them are on borders with other states. As I recall it is about 12 miles long and a mile wide at the widest point. It is a bit busy on weekends with motorboat traffic but during the week, it isn't too bad. Used to be good fishing there esp for large mouth bass.

I still haven't managed to get back to Chittenden Reservoir to spy on the nesting loon's but I will toward the end of this week. The farmer across the road here puts out fresh veggies, jams, relishes, pickles and eggs in a cooler each day by the road side with a tupper ware container for the money. Today we picked up some fresh beets with lovely greens attached. I picked up a dozen eggs, all different colors, for the different chickens that chase each other around the garden. Totally wonderful! Also a lot of fun choosing which color egg I want to cook.

All the hurricane hype on the media always reminds me of the years I spent in NC on the Neuse River estuary of Broad Creek in Oriental and Whortonville. There were 6 bad storms during the time I was there. The storms were one of the reasons I moved to VA in 2001. I found the storm season to be too stressful. I feel for the folks who are being hit repeatedly again this year. We went through that weather pattern too.

Got to start thinking about moving Bearfoot soon to empty the holding tanks. Will keep you all posted.

July 2, 2005

We are sooooo cool and clear here in Vermont today after the heat and humidity cleared out last night. The sky is crystal clear, the sun bright, a lively breeze is blowing and I installed my new cradle system for my kayak, Namaskar. Namaskar loosely translated from Sanscript, "I celebrate and honor all of creation". Grace who is 6 and Joe who is 9 "helped" me with the installation. I don't think the kayak will move about now. I went out early again for a longer bike ride of about 10 miles. The hills are tough for me but I expect I will eventually get conditioned.

We are going to a band concert tonight at Crystal Beach in Bomoseen. I plan to wear warm clothing and bring a blanket. The high today is 75 and it promises to be much cooler when the sun goes down. There will be fireworks too sometime this weekend. We have many choices of where to view those. Probably parades in many of the towns too. I am reading 1776 by the great historian McCullough. The book is really about George Washington. I have been thinking about all the 4th of July parades I have attended in my life. One that stands out in my mind took place during my 10th summer. Our little town always had a parade and my Dad being the firechief had much to do with the planning of the celebration. I was allowed to ride one of my grandmother's draft horses, a grey percheron gelding, 17.2 hands and approx. 1800 lbs, named Duke. I wanted to ride in the parade with several horsey friends. Grandma initially said no since Duke had never been exposed to such a thing before. I did manage to convince her and I prepared to ride as a Native American. I didn't have a saddle anyway nor a bridle, just a headstall with braided baling twine reins. Duke was a spirited animal and strong willed. He really loved to run. I shampooed him, braided his mane and tail the night before. He looked grand. I rode in a bathing suit with a head band and no shoes. The morning of the parade, the organizers lined all the horses up right in front of a large brass band with lots of drums. Duke was excited and dancing around but I loved his showiness. Then the band began to play. My horse stood on his hind legs and proceeded to walk down the road with me clinging to his mane like a little burr. People lined the road and clapped thinking that we were performing for them. I couldn't get him down on all fours for long before he was up again. When he was down, he was spinning around and around. We presented quite a show. As we neared my grandmother's road which was blocked off with cars, he took the bit in his teeth and began to gallop fast. We jumped a car and proceeded to pound back to the safety of the barn as fast as he could go. I never took Duke to a parade again.

I hope ya'll have a safe Independance Day Celebration.

July 1, 2005

Photo of sunset, Whipple Hollow Road.
Bearfoot is parked under the protective canopy of an ancient Maple tree at my daughter's home in Pittsford, Vermont. We are partially on the lawn therefore our starboard side settles into the grass necessitating a releveling every other day or so. I think that will stop soon or perhaps we shall tip over to China. It is a lovely spot actually. They generously had the appropriate electrical outlet put in for me and the water is nearby. The weather continues hot and humid. It actually has felt more like July since we arrived in the northeast the first week in May. Having the AC is a blessing. Wednesday night after a T-shower, the electricity went out for 4 hours. Temperatures were still in the 80's after dark. I started my gennie which enables the AC unit to run. Several of us(this is a large family of 8 offspring) camped out in Bearfoot. I turned the lights and generator off about midnight. Everyone had a flashlight. It is amazing how older children and grandmother's can have lots of fun in the dark with a flashlight. We giggled and carried on for another hour or so. Sebastian only wanted to go to bed.

I went for a bike ride this morning while it was cooler. It is beautiful biking here except for the mosquitos. There are acres of wetlands nearby. I wanted to stop and observe but due to the bugs and lack of bug repellant, I peddled quickly by. Later on I drove over to an outdoor outfitter to find the best places in the area for kayaking. It was the first time I had driven the car with the kayak loaded. I discovered that moving the racks to this smaller car doesn't give me the stability I formerly had. I ended up buying a Thule cradle system that will fit my Yakima racks.

Now it is threatening to storm again and is supposed to cool off. I am going to bring in all my awnings since the wind is blowing hard. My plan is to kayak Chittenden Resevoir on tuesday after the 4th of July revelers leave. The Chittenden Res is approx. 170 acres of pristine water. Speaking of pristine water, Sebastian leaped in the pond here yesterday after the frogs. He came out covered in mud and pond slime. Happy but smelly. Since he insists on sleeping with me, he was immediately rinsed. He amazes me with his patience and tolerance of the