We travel with the sun. When it is warmer up toward the north, we stay north, going to Canada and even Alaska in the future. As fall and winter come, our sails will be directed toward the southern states (I would love to return to New Zealand, there must be some way to drive there if we continue to keep driving south, yes?)
And, travel is good for us. In fact, came upon this article just this morning:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/7-ways-traveling-makes-you-healthier.html
Saturday, July 4, 2015 – This area of The Finger Lakes in New York has so much; we will not be able to take it all in. I am thinking back right now of last night, dinner and the cruise on the lake seeing fire
I did not say, before we boarded, we shared a meal of nachos and a separate dish of calamari, yes, Kit eating squid. The nachos were delicious. At restaurants you are given so much food. So, between us, we eat well.
We share most of our meals.
On a different subject. I write this blog, and sent to you by email, where I am able to attach some photos. I have many, and am still learning. My website and blog are written in WordPress, which I do not know that much of. If you have seen my blog on the website, photos are not included, in that I do not know how to include them. If anyone out there can help me with this predicament, please let me know.
Back at Wegmans for the night of slumber in the van; very quiet and calm here, slept well, but, once again for me, only until 3am. This is another Wegmans that is open for 24 hours, seven days a week, so into the store with me at this early hour.
Right now at the café in the store working on writing this, allowing Tina to keep on being a sleepy head. The cleaning crew is doing what they do, although I did see two customers. A very classy food store is this one.
In my life I have worked for others various times, but mainly lived by self employment. Seems that when you work for someone else you are making more money for them, than yourself, and personally, I don’t like that.
That’s the thing, we can make a living at so many things, just think of the fresh salsa business I developed many years ago – summerssalsa.com. This brought in thousands and thousands of dollars and supported my family and I well.
Use your mind to get creative and use your skills to live the life that you want. If you would like the recipe for the delicious salsa that I developed, send me an email and I will get it to you – kitsummers@gmail.com
Sad to me when someone is in a job they hate for eight hours a day, then go home and watch TV until late, off to bed they go, then the same thing the next day—day after day after . . .
Then, they get their two week a year vacation—oh boy! They then spend these two weeks sleeping. To me, such a waste of life. We only have this one chance at life, I’ve decided (and, yes, it is a conscious decision) to live my life how “I” want, not to be dictated by someone else or live how I do not want.
Sunday, July 5, 2015. Into the Adirondack Mountains to see more nature, and nature we saw much of. Something else we saw much of was cars going the other direction, exiting the area. You see, they spent the Fourth of July holiday up in the mountains and on their way
back to their normal life. We were going in—to continue our normal life—on the road (“normal”, I dare say not.)
In the evening, once we got into the park, we went to the town of Old Forge and, once again, we were able to park where the lake was about just out our back door, and, right at this lake was a park.
Guess what, within spitting distance a singer was performing for a small audience. We were able to sit comfortably in the van and listen. She sang songs from the 70’s and sounded like a combination of Joni Mitchell and Grace Slick. I liked her voice, Tina, not so much. The backup band was excellent.
Dinner was another good salad and to top it off we went out for ice cream, a great addition to add to our day.
We were able to just stay parked where we were next to the lake and slept the night, very at ease; I think I need not say. I awoke early, again, and started putting words together for you. About 6am I looked out the van window and not more than six feet from me was a deer eating grass. What a wonderful thing to wake to, seeing a deer, dear (yes, you.)
As we drove further into the mountains we started seeing more and more green, and trees multiplied much, too.
Into the forest we go.
Arriving at Rutland, Vermont, we went to the local Walmart for a night of rest. But, this store was not in a very nice area of town and the store itself was not a very nice one. So, we packed up and headed for the hills. We got spoiled from the superb location we were at last night.
Up, up into the mountains.
We pulled into a state park that had a campground, very nice. It was too late to find anyone to pay a fee to, so we just found a spot and set up to sleep. We didn’t cover the windows either; there will be no street lights anywhere to shine in while we sleep.
I am now typing the following morning, watching the area get lighter and lighter as the sun is rising (wait a second, the sun is not rising, we on earth and turning so that we are seeing it come into view.) So much nicer awakening in this forest, rather than the Walmart parking lot that we initially pulled into.
Now we are driving from Vermont into New Hampshire, and what a difference it is. The roads, the buildings, the greenery are less dazzling and less class on this side of the border.
A part of this new life on the road, we are at the Laundromat. Off and on we will be staying with people (you?), and, I hope, can use their laundry facilities.
While driving we saw signs for “Moose Crossing” and “Beware of the Elk”. These are signs I normally do not see where I lived in San Diego or Trainer, PA.
Now we are pulled off the road while in a state park, next to a fast flowing stream parked and having lunch. People dream of this sort of thing, so nice to live it.
This just happened, while driving north on I-93N at 1:33pm we looked ahead and to the side of the road and there was a bear! Just kind of sitting there eating grass and stuff, it was great, a once in a lifetime experience. I got out and took some photos, I hope they come out. I wanted to go and pet the bear and see if he wanted to play—Tina said no, for some reason.
Tina is driving (of course, or, am I driving and typing?) We pulled over at a rushing stream, beautiful. I love to drink from mountain streams (you may remember this when I wrote about it when I was in New Zealand.) How refreshing this drink was.
Currently we are driving through the White Mountain National Park, the roads are excellent. I should take back what I said about NH before, but this is a state park. A big ski area in the winter, you can tell. The summer too attracts many.
Continuing on the same road with me as the passenger, I look ahead and up a tree is another baby bear!, so cute (so, I guess it is not a “once in a lifetime” experience, like I wrote previously.) There are about 10 people parked and watching with us.
Tina told me that she heard once that sometimes the mommy bear chases the baby up a tree and then high tails it away, then the baby bear will begin their adult life cycle.
July 8, 2015, last night was spent in another Walmart. There are four other camper vehicles that spent the night here, as well. A free and safe place to park and sleep, that’s a good thing.
Some driving in the morning, then we pulled into a Planet Fitness for a workout and a shower. This was a beautiful facility in a somewhat new building, very nice. I wrote before, there are Planet Fitness gyms all over the US. We often stop for a workout and they all have showers to get clean. The cost, with my insurance, is only $10 a month and I can bring in a guest (Tina). So, it only costs us $5 each a month for a place that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to work out and shower.
Into Portland, Maine we aim. GPS was set for the only Jewish museum in Maine, which is in Portland. You see, Tina is a Messianic Jew and likes to learn of Jewish things. I just like to learn. This was an old building that they fixed up so perfect, very nice.
Driving using GPS is an amazing thing. You may know, I have traveled by car 19 times, round-trip, across the US, most of the time by myself. In the past I had to go by maps and asking direction of people. What a better system this is.
Bar Harbor, Maine is next on the agenda. A drive up route 1 is called for, and it fit in splendidly.
Awoke this morning at a nice pond we parked at last night. This is a natural pond between Portland and Bar Harbor. As I parked last night, I did not know this pond has frogs, a lot of them! Early in the morning their mating calls started, croak, croak. But, I heard three different kinds of voice, so at least three different kinds of frog.
Anyway, this woke me up quite early, Tina slept through it. I’m sure you are thinking that I awoke because of the mating calls, a frog I am not, so, no, I didn’t even get sexually stimulated from the mating croaks.
The drive yesterday was amazing! This was a rich part of the country, I can tell. We drove on route 1 from Portland up to Bar Harbor. The trees, the bays, the mansions, the beauty, it was breathtaking (yes, it took my breath away, I could not breath, Tina had to pound on my chest to save me. Or, was she just beating me for fun?)
There is also a route 1 in California. This makes me think back to, at the age of 16, two friends and I rode bicycles from San Francisco down to where we lived in San Diego. That, too, was an amazing time on route 1.
First we went into the Acadia National Park, and what a grand place it is. Natural beauty was everywhere, but, also, were the people to see this beauty. Tourists were abundant and it showed. We went for a bike ride through an area of the park, and I must apologize, I did not bring my camera to show you how magnificent this place is, I feel like I let you down.
Because of the traffic and the people, we were there briefly and then departed. Off to Bar Harbor, which is in the same island/area as the park, and I’m so glad we went.
If you look on a map, you will see that the park and Bar Harbor are on the same Island area >>> https://www.google.com/maps/@44.3326498,-68.2284184,11z
Here is Bar Harbor >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESLeV4Roqvo
We went out for an excellent meal last night. Once again we shared the meal, and, once again, there was plenty for both of us. The taste was exquisite, I have not had that good of food in quite awhile, savored ever bite.
That’s the thing, either you can simply throw food into your mouth and down your throat, or you can savor every bite you put into your mouth, enjoying every morsel.
Taste every molecule, feel the texture with your tongue, sense the temperature. I call this eating for your mind, rather than eating for your body. This is eating deliberately for taste and not just to eat.
And, you can do this with every meal—eat slowly, consciously, analyzing every flavor and texture that is put into your mouth. Do this and you will eat less, be satisfied more, and enjoy the process of nourishing you body. Make all eating an enjoyable, special event and you will eat healthier.
Back to travels–We found a street in Bar Harbor with not many cars and a barren area with a big tree to hang over us as we slept in the van. Sleeping near millionaire mansions, we felt special. First, though, we took a long walk along cliffs to the town, called Shore Road.
In towns we have been in recently, surprisingly, we have seen the biggest seagulls and crows that either of us has ever seen. Perhaps you saw the movie birds? Yes, that scary.
Tina and I are getting along slappingly well (no, she is not slapping me.) We have fun together; laugh at the same things, and growing and learning together. This could continue forever—or—at least as long as the van holds up.
While in Bar Harbor, Tina mentioned that she wanted lobster. Maine is the main place for Maine lobster, so we mainly had to while in Maine.
There was a place in that town that we could have had lobster overlooking the ocean, but I wanted to keep looking; wrong thing to do. This made Tina mad, which I did not see at first.
We found a fantastic place down the road—
http://www.theinnonthewharf.com/restaurant.html.
We both ordered a tail, no sharing this time.
Before we were served I had to go and us
e the restroom to wash my hands. As I was walking by the tank that holds the lobsters, the chef was pulling one out. I think he smiled at me, so, later, it was difficult to eat the little guy (but not that difficult!)
Along with the entire lobster served to us, we also got corn-on-the-cob, French fries (made in France, I might add), cole-slaw and a salad; a big meal for each.
I got startled seeing Tina
consume her lobster.
Talk about a professional lobster eater, boy.
She carefully removed each leg, and then sucked the meat out of each. Moving on to the tail, delicately she removed it from the rest of the small animal with claws. She then went about saving and devouring each morsel of the tail. The claws came last; she told me they were the sweetest. Skillfully she was able to find every bit of meat.
What was left was just some hard shell.
I ate my tail and claws, although not at all with such dexterity.
What an amazing place to eat. As we ate, there was a view out on the bay and islands, so nice. We saw sailboats tied up to buoys, and wondered how people go out to their boat.
On one buoy was a row boat tied up.
After a time we saw a sail boat come in to this buoy, they tied up the sailboat, then jumped in the row boat for the ride to the shore. So, now we know.
Our waitress was Gabrielle, a sweet girl from Lithuanian who performs her job with excellence. She is also in school studying business, I can tell she will do well.
Right off to our right there were islands ¼ mile out, I wanted to make one my home on one of them, but Tina said it would be hard to keep ice cream, so I dropped that idea.
Parked last night for sleep in a McDonalds parking look. Very quiet, very calm; we slept well. In fact, Tina is still out getting some shuteye.
Wanting to get these words right off for you, I say, bye for now.
