Balsam Woods Blog

With the purchase of our first home behind us, the itch to travel started to creep up on us. We have already started our Fall vacation in September, so it can’t be anything too big. We decided to do a four day round trip driving vacation to Kentucky. However, the movers had a different idea. We need to stay close to home and so we decided to do day trips.

Day 1

Andrea has never been to the top of New England (Mt Washington), so I decided that we would go there. I looked at the forecast and today seems like it will have the best weather up there. We drive up through the most celebrated mountain pass in the east, Franconia Notch. We then took the Cog Railway all the way to the top. We worked our way home through Vermont. I had wanted to take Andrea to this wonderful restaurant that is on a mountainside over looking a beautiful lake near where I went to college. However, the restaurant was closed, so we ate at a Chinese restaurant in St Johnsbury, VT before heading home.

Day 2

We decided to head back to the mountains today. We drove to the Norman Rockwell museum where we were disappointed to only find about 20-25 of his paintings. After a visit there, we drove north into Vermont, passing the highest point in Massachusetts. Once in Vermont, I sought out some Vermont Cheese Curds because Andrea is always talking about how good the Wisconsin ones are. After finding some, and stopping for lunch at what has to be the furthest east Tastee Freeze, we headed towards Mt Equinox.

Thomas Merton once said that there are no coincidences, only connections and I think he must be right. The road to the top of Mt Equinox (the highest point in southeastern VT) is a toll road and so we stopped at the gift shop, at the base, where you pay your fare. I noticed flags from many different states and countries and so I enquired about them. I had also noticed some decidedly Catholic books on display in the gift shop as well. I learned that property on which the mountain lies is owned by the only Carthusian monastery in North America. What a treat! Of course we didn’t go to the monastery (though we could see it at one point), but just being there was such a treat.

We worked our way home in the late evening. Even though we were staying at home, it was beginning to feel like a vacation!

Day 3

We headed towards the ocean this time. The goal was to visit the highest point in Rhode Island and then go to the Touro Synagogue in Newport. However, our plans changed when I discovered that I forgot my NPS Passport, which was the reason that I wanted to visit them. I collect passport cancellation stamps as a record of my visit to all the NPS sites (there are 390 of them and I have been to 250+). The visit to Rhode Islands high point was kind of neat, though no real climbing was required. Every time we visit a high point, I always say “it’s all downhill from here!”.

After the high point, we drove along the Rhode Island coast and worked our way back to Connecticut where we had some great seafood on the coast. Then, we headed home to prepare for the movers arrival the next day.

This weekend Dave and I walked a few miles (or so it felt) through Lowe’s looking at cabinetry, countertops, sinks, faucets, and lots of other stuff. We were trying to make some final decisions about items we want to install in especially the kitchen at the house. We also moved a few thousand maps over to Dave’s parent’s basement for storage. I am very glad it was no hotter or humid than it was because that was a chore!

On a spur of the moment we also took a scenic drive to northeastern Connecticut and drove briefly into Rhode Island also. We ate dinner at a splendid little 53 year old dinner car in Dayville with a huge sign overhead that said EAT in neon lights. Ya can’t get any more simple. And it was great food, we even had pie for dessert.

Dave and I took a wonderful trip to Peoria this last weekend. It was my first trip back to Illinois since getting married and moving to Connecticut. The main purpose of the trip to go to my Grandma S’s 80th birthday celebration, but we squeezed in some time to visit a couple of other favorite folks too.

We left on Thursday afternoon and zipped through Connecticut, New York, and into Pennsylvania as far as Milesburg where we stayed overnight. We got up early and drove the rest of the way through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and made it to Illinois in time for dinner at my parent’s house. This trip we took highway 30 in Ohio to 24 in Fort Wayne and had good luck with that choice. The 2 lane roads were trying at times, but we were able to make good time anyway.

After dinner with my parent’s, Dave and I went to Bergner’s to spend some money we received from the wedding since there isn’t a Bergner’s here. I realized, once again, how wonderful a provider my fabulous hubbie is when I was wandering around trying desperately to find something I need to spend the rest of the money on the gift card. I am certainly blessed!

On Saturday morning we woke up early to have breakfast with my fabulous friend Jodi. We had a very nice visit and it was so great to see her. She gave me the sweetest little craft she’d made and a gift bag of different kinds of tea. It was a bummer to have to say good bye again, but we needed to be off to my Aunt P’s house for a visit with my Grandma B.

Dave took me on a little road trip on Saturday to Cape Cod. We had a great time driving around, visiting a couple of lighthouses, and dining. I had never been to Cape Cod before and it was nice to see the ocean too! Rhode Island has to be just the cutest little state ever…it took a whopping 40 minutes to traverse the entire state, on somewhat of a diagonal no less! That’s like driving between Peoria and Bloomington-Normal, with traffic. “The Cape”, as the locals call it, is pretty interesting. The lighthouses are really neat, the beaches are scenic and the ocean is amazing. I can only imagine how busy it is out there during the tourist season though so I am glad we went out during the off-season.

On our way home we decided to stop for a bite, but could not find a local seafood place. We drove into Hyannis and found every national franchise chain you can imagine, but we wanted something local and seafood. Finally, when we were about to turn around, we saw a restaurant called Clancey’s and decided to stop there. I had a cup of Lobster Bisque; Dave had a bowl of Clam Chowder. Then we had some yummy crab cakes and our entrée was called Scallops Monterey. The scallops were the ocean variety served over a stuffing/bread crumbs mixture with melted Monterey Jack over the top and it was scrumptious! So Clancey’s was a nice, out of the way find!

On Sunday, we went to mass, had breakfast at Dave’s parent’s house and afterward, Dave loaded the pick-up with firewood so we could keep nice and cozy during the next few weeks. We came home, unloaded the firewood and I took a long winter’s nap while Dave did computer work. We went back over to Dave’s parent’s house for dinner and had a really nice evening.

Well, I have household chores to accomplish before starting our dinner. Have a great day!!