Tuesday, June 24, 2014

back in virginia

The visit to Kelly on Saturday went well. I was able to get a lot of big stuff to the dump in three loads and I trimmed some trees also. I had fun with Lucia though she sometimes wanted to be left alone. They took me to dinner and then I went to bed around ten in my truck really tired. I got up around 6 and drove to the Potomac, where I got a good bike ride in while it was still pretty cool. I drove more, napped, and then played golf at Ingleside. I ended up watching the soccer match at 6 and then I rode my bike some more on the Roanoke College Campus. I stopped at Walmart for supplies and then headed home where the road was fine with no trees down. On Monday morning I cut the grass and trimmed around the house, went into town for a walk with Rob and then wrote some before heading back to the house to practice and get ready for dinner. On Tuesday morning, I took a long walk, pruning as I went and then I went in for a walk with Rob. I did some writing (my FAR is almost finished and I started a new poem) then took a nap, then played golf and rode my bike along the New River. Then back to my office for a little more work and my lumosity training which I have gotten back into.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Friday Morning, Tomorrow Kelly

I am now in southern Connecticut at a Quality Inn and my camping plans fell apart. I had a nice dinner at the Italian restaurant last night and then walked some before heading into the room. I slept well and when I got up I worked on my novel and have over 2700 words. Yesterday was a decent day but I must say I would be glad to get home. This morning, however, I know I will be back Sunday. I did play golf and ride my bike yesterday and did keep up my novel writing although it was a bit of a struggle. I will have a pretty easy day of driving (4 hours or so) and that should put me about an hour from Kelly. I think I can be a real help to her and Alfredo and it should be fun to see Lucia.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

visiting Merrill and Acadia

Next morning, I got up early and showered, did my wash, practiced my sax and then met Merrill at 12:15 at the Maine Grind for lunch. I have known Merrill for many years and she always strikes me as deeply good, deeply concerned, deeply loving (especially with her husband and son Merrin). I admire her. She doesn’t have the histrionics I often end up in. After lunch, we went for a two mile hike at an historic house nearby. We chatted about her family and her nursing aspirations. After leaving Merrill I left for Acadia and went for a long bike ride around Eagle Lake. It was then nap time and after a brief nap I was ready to have dinner, this time treating myself to lobster at the Bar Harbor Lobster Pound. After that I walked around a lot, ending up at a tavern that had internet and writing on my novel. I got back to the campground around 11 and went right to bed since I was very tired. I slept very well and got up around 7, showered, and then drove into Bar Harbor for breakfast at The Two Cats (very good especially the spicy potatoes) and then worked on my story, which is moving along (1500 words). Then it was time for my bike ride (to Witch’s Hole) and then nap time. After that I headed to Two Cats again for a very desired cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin. I worked on a couple of poems (the Vermont poem needs work on the ending) and then it was blog time.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Vermont to Maine

This is going to be a catchup entry since a lot has happened since I left New York. On Friday morning I drove up to Bennington, battling the rain for most of the drive. As I got east of Troy the weather cleared a bit and I was able to play nine holes at a long par 3 course and I shot very well. After that I drove to Bennington and got my fishing license, then headed up to the campground on 9 up by the ski area. I stopped to fish the Walloomsac and it was lovely water and I caught 3 browns. After checking in, I drove back to town for pizza and a walk with my earbuds. The next day was still a bit threatening weather wise, but I did go fishing again in one of the tributaries of the Walloomsac and caught 3 small brook trout. I then drove to Camping on the Battenkill and took a nap, then rode my bike for an hour, then did yoga and practiced my sax. I had dinner at Mulligan’s and then went to the Fault in our Stars, which had me in tears throughout. I walked around Manchester a little and went back to the campground. In the morning I decided to head for Bar Harbor and after checking my GPS I realized that I had underestimated the drive by 3 hours, 7 hours instead of 4. That meant a long day in the truck if I wanted to get to the coast and that was my intention for the first 3 hours. But then after a nap, I decided to not worry about getting there and stopped at Pawtuckaway State Park for a long bike ride through the hilly and forested park roads. After that I drove on, expecting Claire’s e-mailed letter at any point, but luckily not finding it. I stopped to play golf at a first rate links course (where I shot a 45) and then drove on to Ellsworth after talking to Merrill about having lunch and a walk tomorrow. I couldn’t find a place to watch the game (Sunday in Ellsworth is dead) and finally ended up in a Mexican restaurant where the woman kindly fixed me some food and let me watch the first half. The game was out of hand so the second half wasn’t important. What a boring series. After checking in at my campground, I drove back to Denny’s and worked on my novel.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Visit to Gabes and Julian

I had a lovely visit to Gabes on Monday (the big news being that Francesca is pregnant) and my babysitting duties (for 5 hours) went very well. I woke Julian at 5, and cuddled with him while he woke up, then we headed to the park where he rode his wheeled toy and then climbed all over the playground structures, then went swinging for a while. After that we went for pizza at the pizzeria on Colonial, and then a wonderful thing happened. Julian is a little obsessed with the B-9 bus and I asked him if he would like to take a ride on it. (He said he had never been on it, but Gabes said that he had). Anyway, he really liked the idea but when we stood at the bus stop, he wavered a little, said he had changed his mind, but then decided to get on when a B-9 came. The driver was an absolute doll, allowing us to ride for free, giving Julian some peanut butter crackers, allowing him to make the final stop announcement, and letting him play around the bus while she took her ten minute break. When we got back to our stop, Julian thanked her and told her he hoped she had a nice day, so very sweet. Later, as we discussed our adventure, he said that though we didn’t know where we were going the driver did. Very smart. I took him home and cooked him some elbow macaroni and then after reading him a story, it was time for bed, around 8:15. The next day I played with him in the morning, and then I went into town to have lunch with Gabes after a walk through Chinatown and a stroll downtown to 30 Broad Street. It was a lot of fun and Gabe treated. After that I walked over to the memorial and headed back around 4. Julian was funny at dinner noticing each time one of us said shit, and I called him Little Big Brother.

Saturday, June 7, 2014

maymester is over

I am finished for the summer and it feels pretty good. I am at Cigars International cigar store and bar near the cabelas at Hamburg and I am smoking a cigar for the first time in 6 years (I assume one won’t hurt me), drinking coffee and listening to my songs with my earbuds. This place has music and internet and I am sitting outside having put in my grades and I am hoping to get to writing in a few minutes. I got off at around 11 after visiting with the campers. I stopped to ride my bike for an hour at JMU and rode to the other side of the campus, which is pretty big. It is amazing how I am breaking so many patterns these days. I played golf with David yesterday and we had a lot of fun and then we met Suzy and Emily at the DQ and had some food and ice cream. Emily was so much fun. It was also great to talk to Suzy again, and she asked if I would send her a couple of my essays.