September 9-18, 2018 Elmore, Ohio & friends

It was so fun and just like old times, hanging out with Cheryl, Craig, Jeri & Jerry at the C&C RV Resort. Only thing different was Cheryl & Craig working their career, almost nonstop, as the rest of us are retired and were working on relaxing.

We made it to Port Clinton to see C&C's friend really cool storage unit that holds their Big rig RV, boats & cars. Since we were near Catawba, we dined at one of our fav's: Mon Ami. Afterwards we stopped at a new brewery called Oast's that has a cool outdoor area.

Jim & Elaine have moved into their new estate in Perrysburg and we were lucky enough to visit & get a tour.  It is 3 levels of amazing.  Their pond & park like setting is beautiful.  Jim treated us to a delicious dinner at the new Benchmark Restaurant at Levi's.






Doug's birthday celebration was at Granite City with Paul, Jess, C&C, J&J, Patty & Charlie. After dinner, we took Doug's birthday present from C&C to Hollywood Casino & cashed in the $100 voucher and played on some fun slots.

Jeri & I enjoyed a day of pampering. I got my long hair cut to short after 5 years of letting it grow. Everyone likes it but I'm not so sure. Jessie so sweetly invited us to join her in looking at Wedding Dresses. Jeri, Cheryl & I accompanied her to downtown Perrysburg to a nice bridal store where she looked beautiful in all the dresses she tried on.  She did ultimately pick one of the beautiful gowns to wear for their wedding.

Paul & Jessie invited us over to their home, for a fire and drinks. Patty & Ray joined us too.  J&J took off today with their 5th wheeler to have warranty work done and to close the farm up in Michigan.

We originally planned to leave and drive to John & Christina's in Virginia but they have a Hurricane threatening them with possible evacuation so we can not go and chose not to drive through the storm either so we are staying in Elmore for a few days.

Joe, Barb & Sabrina had us over for homemade Pizza in their cool pizza oven. It was such a beautiful evening that we were able to do some star gazing with Sabrina.



C&C took us over to the cottage on the Pozelure for the day. It was great being back on a boat in Lake Erie and it wasn't green with slime. We helped mow, water & then toured the island on bikes.


 

Sept 7-8, 2018 Ohio: Jan's 45th High School BGHS Reunion

We drove straight through from Rhode Island to Elmore, Ohio: 14.5 hours. We arrived too late to attend the Friday night meet & greet part of the HS reunion. Instead we settled in at C&C's RV Resort.  Our campsite was primo, right in front of the wood burner for the furnace, on the driveway, next to the new barn.   Jeri & Jerry's rig was on the other side of the driveway.

Carol, Kris, Laurie & Robin on Friday nite

The next morning, Jeri helped me with my hair & make up.  We borrowed Jeri's Lexus to drive to BG. We stopped at The Holiday Inn Express where we met up with Carol Braun & Robin Flockencier and her husband Frank. We left Frank at the hotel and the 4 of us went into town and walked around the Black Swamp Festival, grabbed a bite to eat and met up with almost all of Robin's sisters.

Jack-I and I

Our next stop after freshening up at the Hotel was out to the Woodland Mall on the northern end of BG for cocktails and appetizers.  It wasn't too big of a turn out, but it gave us an opportunity to talk to Jack-I Spoores, Jon Hall and a few others.

what a good sport my love is

Carol, Jeanette, Jean & Karlyn

The main event was held at the BG Country Club. It was a pretty good turn out but I had difficulty recognizing most of the men and I didn't visit with many of them but I did spend time with Carol & Robin of course but also Dave Pierce, Jon Hall, Beth Ann Brown, Karlynn Hille, Janet Adler, Jeannie Kale, Martha & others. I won the 50/50 raffle of $250 and I donated it all to the 50th Reunion account upon Doug's suggestion. There was a class pic taken and a moment of silence for all that we have lost in our class.

After the reunion, we went back to Carol & Robin's hotel room and visited with Dave Pierce and Jon Hall.  We got back to Elmore at 1:30 AM.

Sept 4-6, 2018 Jamestown, Rhode Island

After leaving Esther's, we drove through the rest of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and finally into Rhode Island.

Jamestown, Rhode Island is where our dear friends, Tricia & David live. This is our first visit to their beautiful "cottage" on Narragansett Bay. Their home is not only beautiful but so welcoming and comfortable. We love porches and they have a great one waterside. Their view includes Newport, across the bay and the grand Newport Bridge.  Most of the time, there are sailboats gliding past or racing by.

Our first evening there, we were joined by Garry, Jacque, Jeff & Ellen who arranged to have their Krogens anchored in the bay. David & Tricia hosted us all for cocktails & dinner on their patio. It was truly a lovely night with lovely company.

After a restful night in their comfy, cozy guest bedroom, that has a view of the harbor, we rose early and started playing.  First we got on the water, Tricia & Doug in kayaks and David & I on paddle boards. We paddled around the harbor, checking out the waterfront homes along the shoreline. Next, we learned a new skill: raking for Quahogs. We waded into the bay, right in front of David & Tricia's home with rakes & buckets in hand.  Quahogs are a hard shell clam and we found a bunch.  After using their handy outdoor shower to rinse off, the 4 of us hopped on our bikes and toured some of the island.  We rode through the quaint town, passed a lot of beautiful homes and then reached the Beavertail Lighthouse. That night, we picked up the rest of the gang and dined on the patio at Matunuck Oyster Bar.

We couldn't visit David & Tricia without playing Pickle Ball, so the next morning the 4 of us found the community courts and played a few rousing games without injury, Yay! We took some time to relax and enjoy their beautiful porch-Doug & David really relaxed while Tricia & I did a little boutique shopping downtown. For Happy Hour-David grilled up the Quahogs we had dug-Yum! Talk about fresh! Dinner out was in Newport with a stop at their local dive bar to listen to some live music.

We sure are lucky to have such wonderful friends that treat us so well. Thanks for showing us such a great time.

Sept 1-3, 2018 Island Falls, Maine

Canada's wall!

Customs & border Crossing

At St Simons, we crossed the border from Canada into Calais, Maine at the cutest Customs Station yet, even the U.S. customs official was pleasant and courteous.

Guard dog Holly

We arrived at Esther's house in the afternoon while gaining an hour from the time zone change. It took a while to find a level spot to park the RV.  If we park the RV on an incline, the refrigerator stops working so we decided to park on the street next to Esther's garage. Esther & Holly greeted us.  Holly, a good dog, keeps Esther company in the summer.  As usual, Esther fed us well and kept us entertained and happy.

The weather was perfect so the next day, all of us boarded Esther's boat and crossed Mattawamkeag Lake to Esther & fam's Camp: Camp Palmer-officially. We had been here once before, years ago with Norm & Esther.  Since our last visit some wonderful improvements have been made.  There is now a flush toilet and running water from a tank which draws water out of the lake and the toilet empties into a new septic area. The biggest major addition is the "Perch": a beautiful new bunkhouse.

We kayaked, walked, read, played Bananagram by lantern and enjoyed a lovely campfire built by Doug. At night, without electricity or TV, the candles and lanterns reflect a calming ambiance.  It is quiet and so peaceful; Esther, thanks for sharing your slice of paradise with us.

what a view

Captain Esther & first mate Holly