May 20, 2012 -- total peace & quiet

Today, most folks who were here for the weekend were gone by noon. We have one neighbor, four sites over, who is quiet; other than that the only communications we've been getting are through twitter (the avian kind, not the social media kind). When we were not riding Fred & George around the campground, we spent most of the day looking like this. Bliss!

May 19, 2012 -- relaxing at home

Such a gorgeous day, and no time constraints on us whatsoever, added up to a really lovely time. After a quiet afternoon of lounging in the sun reading, we got out our picnic gear and had a cookout. In attendance were Paul, Jenny and Robin as well as Mike and Terri (more RPI alumni) with their charming sons Nick and A.J. Tricycles and bicycles were enjoyed by all, even Jenny who had never been on one before (go Jenny!). A.J. also enjoyed the trike because, try as we might, we could not convince him that he still knew how to ride a bike even though he had not been on one in several years.

Speaking of bikes, Scott has decided on names for our human-powered vehicles: Fred and George, after the red-haired twins in the Harry Potter movies. When asked which was which, he said, “I don't know; I never could tell them apart.” Scott called Fred/George into service a couple of times, to go and meet guests at the gate, as well as to haul two loads of firewood. It's so great to have bikes to get around the campground!

May 18, 2012 -- Hairspray!

Tonight was a time for re-connecting with friends and enjoying a night at the theater. We went to visit our friends, Paul & Jenny (who Scott knows from college) and their lovely daughter Robin. There was delicious BBQ chicken from Dinosaur BBQ, a New York institution. Then we saw a really wonderful production of Hairspray at the Schenectady Light Opera Company. The theater is small and the production was BIG. It was outstanding, with great acting, singing and dancing, and such a cute Edna that we just had to get a picture after the show.

May 17, 2012 -- at Arrowhead

Gorgeous day! Weather reports are predicting several days of fair weather, and we are delighted. Our campsite overlooks the Mohawk River, so we've seen some interesting-looking boats -- some look like oversized lobster boats, others are more like passenger party-boat affairs. There is a marina here, but not a lot of boats yet as they just opened for the season on Tuesday. Another thing we love about this campground is the fact that there are no streetlights in the park, so at night it actually gets dark. A lot of places do not have this luxury! Here it's quite rustic though (in a good way), with lots of tent sites and not a lot of full hookups. Sooo... now that we're all set up and ready to go, Scott logged into his computer for his first on-the-road day at work. Here he is, just before hitting the power switch:

Sadly, the internet connection is also a bit rustic. We brought a mobile hotspot with us, but it was only getting 2G coverage, and that was really slow until we hooked up our booster antenna. The booster antenna is on a magnetic base which is really great until you realize that the camper is aluminum so it won't stick. Our brilliant solution: Canned beets! Yes, you read that right. The can of beets is just heavy enough to stabilize the antenna, and just high enough to hold the antenna above the roof line so that we can get a signal from any direction. This solution was directly inspired by Mom, who as many of you know, used a can of B&M baked beans as a step stool for years in her kitchen. (Thanks for the idea Mom!) Once we get hungry for beets, I predict that we'll switch to B&M baked beans to hold the rooftop antenna. It just seems like the right thing to do.

May 16, 2012 -- to Glenville, NY

Having been to bed early the night before, getting up at 8:00ish felt like sleeping in. There was some rain on this trip, and some blustery winds, but soon we got the hang of driving with the trailer in less-than-ideal conditions. We got in to Glenville (near Albany) around 2 p.m. Severe thunderstorms were predicted, with DAMAGING WINDS! and GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL! and we thought, “here we go...” but the storms missed us and we passed a really lovely, quiet night at Arrowhead RV Park. Once the storm threat had passed, it was time to look for groceries. Our GPS located a Hannaford store about 5 miles away, so it was pretty much like shopping at home. Sweet! We are now well stocked for the week.

May 15, 2012 -- departure from South Portland

Wow! It has been a busy couple of weeks getting the camper ready. We actually moved in about the last week of April but had been living without running water (except for the flush, which does not require clean water). In between what felt like constant rain storms we managed to de-winterize the pipes, sanitize the onboard drinking water tank, de-clutter our cabinets and wash all the clothes and bedding that were stored in the camper over the course of the winter, refill our propane tanks and get furnace and stove working. Fortunately, no critters hibernated in our home (guess they preferred the woodshed next door) so cleanup was not too difficult. Huge thanks to Mom for the use of her side yard, kitchen, washing machine, dryer, garden hoses and outdoor electric outlets so that we could get everything done. You made our lives so much easier! Showers were predicted this morning but luckily they held off as we completed the final preparations of hooking the trailer up to the truck (which we did on the first try I might add) and so spirits were high as we started our trip. Our first stop was Cabela's in Scarborough. After three weeks of our living in the trailer, Charlie-In-The-Box “had to go.” We used their free sewer dumping station and hit the turnpike many pounds lighter. Once under way, I think we finally remembered to be tired from all the work of the past two days. We did not get far before pulling off for what we thought would be a rest and a snack at a truck rest area near North Andover, MA. Then it started raining, and since we did not have far to go on this first leg of our journey, we decided this would be a good place to put our feet up and relax for awhile. We ended up staying the night. For a truck rest stop, it was amazingly quiet (that, or we were both too tired to hear anything).

Almost ready!

We have spent this weekend (the first non-rainy days) organizing the back of the truck, the storage area, and inside. We're almost there! One more day at work, them Tuesday we are on the road. Wednesday we will be at a campground just west of Schenectady for a while, visiting friends and going to the local theater to see Hairspray. :)