Watermelon

Casey and I love watermelon. We got hooked on it last summer while we were in Florida. They were selling it on the side of the road for $2 and we ate a lot.

We didn't make it to florida for cheap watermelon but we did get some from Hannifords.

I cut some up so we each had two pieces. The problem is Casey wanted my pieces also. She just doesn't know how to share! 



Late Post

A couple of post ago we had stayed in the parking lot of Yankee Candle. I took a lot of pic's of the store but forgot to post them. It's been years since we last stopped here and the store has changed big time. Their don't do just candles anymore and I felt I had to post some of the pictures.

First of all, there is RV parking and there's plenty of room.

As you enter the store, you notice all the differant sections of specialty items

Lots of quality items to pick from

Kitchen items I've never seen before.

Jams and Jellies

They even have a Cow section

No....I didn't get any fudge!

Great candy selection of new and old.

Christmas

The store was really worth the store, you can also have lunch or dinner while you're here.

Vac Dust Pan

Since I put the new vacuum in I figured I might as well add the dust pan for when we sweep the floor.

It took about an hour to complete the installation and it works great.



Volunteering At The Pan-Mass Challenge

Joyce and our oldest daughter Lisa volunteered to help out at the Pan-Mass Challenge headquarters. Their job was to bag the items that each rider receives for the race.

If you're not familiar with the challenge, it is not a race, it's an indurance run made up of mostly cancer survivors, friends, family, and supporters. Click here for the Story of how it began.

Our son-in-law is a survivor of brain cancer, and this will be his third time biking this event. The challenge begins in Sturbridge, Ma. and ends in Province Town, Ma.. The route will take the riders through our town and pass the high school where we will be volunteering our services and cheering on the group.

About the PMC:

The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is an annual bike-a-thon and a pioneer of the athletic fundraising industry that today raises more money for charity than any other single event in the country. The organization was founded in 1980 and has since raised $338 million for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy  Fund. The PMC is a model of fundraising efficiency. The PMC donates 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the cause. In 2011, the PMC generated 60 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue and it was Dana-Farber’s single largest contributor. Over 230,000 individual contributions were made to last year’s fundraising campaign. In 2012, PMC cyclists will ride with the goal of raising $36 million for Dana-Farber.

The Ride:

The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is a fully supported bike-a-thon — with food and water stops, mechanical and medical assistance, luggage transportation, and lodging — that runs through 46 towns across Massachusetts. Approximately 5,500 cyclists ride in the event. Cyclists choose from 11 routes of varying mileage designed to cater to all levels of cycling strength and fundraising ability. There are six two-day routes that range from 153 to 190 miles and five one-day rides that range from 25 to 110 miles. In 2012, cyclists are required to raise between $500 and $4,300 to ride in the PMC, depending on the chosen route.



Heading Home From Our Trip Up North

Time to leave Vermont, and the stinking GPS always seems to take me down a dirt road.

Then through small towns with multi-colored homes.

 And more homes

Along route 7 they make neat things with the round hay bales like this cat and dog.

Also surprised to see a field full of solar panels, smart farmer!

Then we passed through some larger towns with too many traffic lights.

Finally back on the scenic route

What's this.....we must have seen twenty of these old cars.

They kept coming

And a few were even parked in the towns we passed by.

I swear that just about every road we traveled, we being worked on. "Be Prepared To Stop"



Flag Man

And there he or her was....hard at work.

At least these guys were serious about what they were doing.

Then we finally made it to our destination....Yankee Candle in Deerfield, Ma.
Did you know that you can stay the night in their parking lot and all you have to do is ask.

On the Move From Maine to Vermont

We said goodbye to our friends Don and Lucy and headed out from Maine along route 2 to Vermont.
Oh yea, before we left Maine, we went to the New Balance factory store so Joyce could get some new sneakers. I spotted these running shoes and had to try them on.....soooo comfortable I had to have them. Joyce doesn't like the color, what do you think?

Along the way we always seem to come upon unusual things like this phone that stood about 15 feet high.


This is the plaque mounted on the phone.

Joyce took this picture of a Maine classic!



We stopped to have lunch in the parking lot of Santa's Village, this place has been here since I was a kid.

For those of you that recall when I had fluid on my right knee........I now have the left knee looking ugly. I don't have time for surgery now so will try to hold off as long as I can.

Trip To Moosehead Lake In Maine

We arrived in Greenville, Maine set up camp and headed out for the three hour boat trip.

The Katahdin is an old work horse from years gone by. She use to hall logs across Moosehead Lake. The three hour loop was informative but the cruise was slow and I wish it had only been a two hour cruise.

This 49 Pontiac Woody was parked in the lot at the cruise pier. She was towing an old classic boat, trailer, and motor.

 This s the boat, what a beauty.

 Sweet restoration.

There are hundreds of small islands on the lake, and some have homes like this one. Note the solar panels on the roof.

Hanging over the side.....wow, is this lake big!

As we got out into the larger area of water, the captain would let the kids steer the boat.

This is the ships bell, it's brass and measures about a foot across.

All in all, it was a nice day and as we finished our cruise, it began to rain.