Foghorns and Gloucester

Last night the CIty of Gloucester played us a lullaby of foghorns all night long. A tune we both rather enjoyed. The bed here was much comfier than at our previous lodging. We decided since our Whale Watch trip was cancelled because of fog we would take it easy today. Breakfast was a nice spread, but I only availed myself to a piece of yummy blueberry muffiny cake, a baby-bell, juice and coffee. There was much more available though.

Lunch was at a little hole in the wall called Charlies Place, we stopped because there is a laundromat right beside Charlies and we were on a mission for some clean clothes. There was lobster roll on the menu for me and Jodi figured she could do a BLT. So In we went. They have lobster rolls, lobster casserole, boiled lobster, even fried lobster. Seriously, who would fry lobster? Maybe when it is more common, and not so much a treat, one would fry it, but to loose the delicate flavor of lobster to the breading seems sacrilegious to me!

I am still feeling sticker shock over the $3.50 per load of laundry. I know it has been a while but the last time I had to do laundry in a laundromat (Other than Paris). I remember paying I think it was $.50. Have times changed! It would be hard to be clean, or to wear clean clothes, if you had do laundry here every week! Does it cost this much everywhere? I wonder.

The French call window shopping, window licking, this afternoon we drove up the coast, house licking. The old Victorian / Cape Cod style houses on the water were amazing, not as huge as the ones in Newport, but lovely none the less. These homes sat on cliffs that had the atlantic ocean slapping up against it creating great sprays of frothy water in the air. Jodi was on a quest to capture this image and did a reasonably good job of it!

We rambled up the coast of Massachusetts to Rockport, a hint from a fellow traveler earlier in the week. It is a cute little old village right on the water, where we stopped at the Bean & Leaf for a cup of coffee and a treat. It was pretty stinkin good coffee accompanied by a blondie. Jodi thought maybe it was better than Starbucks. High praise that. As we left a rafter of turkeys bid us a picturesque and fond farewell. Jodi had me stopping mid traffic so she could capture a photo, I don't think the citizens of Rockport think much of Hoosiers right about now.

It became foggier and foggier as we returned. I had lobster on my mind, so we came back to the room, made plan and off we went to the Gloucester House. I was a little worried because the clientele made me think of my grandparents. My Caesar Salad was pretty good, the bread was regular wheat bread, but home made, the Lazy mans lobster I settled on was delicious, the twice baked potato, though was a mess. Not being a potato lover that was not so bad for me. Jodi had Pot Roast, with same said potato and she thought her gravy too sweet, I liked it though. I have that savory/sweet thing going on and she does NOT! A walk along the sea wall from end to end, listening to the waves and it was off to bed.

When will we EVER Learn?

Rain, Rain. I fantasized all day about eggs benedict I saw in the window of Cafe Heaven yesterday, so this morning we got up, got dressed and walked there in the rain, am I spoiled or what? The cafe is an adorable place with maybe a dozen tables. Our “hot” waiter was “as sweet as he could be” and the eggs benedict, well you judge, they were as good as they looked. Our sweet waiter even took a awesome photo of my delicioius breakfast for me to use to blog. Home made english muffins, ham, perfectly poached eggs and a delightful hollandaise sauce (liberally laced with lemom pepper, I think) made my wishes come true!

Thoroughly saturated we got back on the road headed for Salem, I wanted to see how witches work. One can not read the quanity of romance novels I have, withough encountering a few witchy romances. Getting to the Salem Witch Museum needed a spell of its own! The residents don't seem to appreciate the revenue and there were about a thousand posted no parking signs around in various forms. Finally we found parking and got into the museum, just in time for the 2:00 showing. The museum is in what appears to be an old church, which could have offended me, however the message is a resonate one to my spirit. The message of fear + scapegoat = horrors So while the main part of the museum story was about the Salem Witch Trials themselves, at the end there was a talk about the origins of witchcraft (sounded ike sister nurses to me). There was more talk about the times in the history of man that humans have reacted out of fear and done horrible things. Jesus, Joan of Arc, The Inquisition, The Salem Witch Trials, World war II, Japanese interment camps, McCarthy, and HIV/AIDs. So if a little peace and understanding comes to the visitor of this museum, housed in an old church, so be it. Jodi wondered, as did I where on the timeline would our current war be and how would it look when it gets there.

Lunch was an interesting affair. We had finally parked in a parking garage and in the entrance level was a mall type affair with a few places to eat. We had a sandwich, me a apple, carmalizzed onion, chicken and swiss, Jodi a veggie panning, she said was good.

We arrived in Glouceter to drizzle and gloomy skies. The Harborveiw Inn sits right across the street from the water and we have vies of the harbor. The house is laced by an lovely garden which is still in flower and the rooms holds antique furniture, artwork and seems to be cozy. We ended out our afternoon relaxing together in our room with a view.

Trollies, Towers & Tones

Yesterday in Provinctown was an adventure for sure. We stayed in the Bayberry Inn and the Owner had indicated that there would be a coffee pot with coffee ready to go for the first person up, which apparently happened to be me. I made coffee, all ready for a wonderful cup of java, only to find seriously healthy foods in the fridge and no cream. So I started off the day with a watered version of that luscious java I had been anticipating. I had an english muffin and jam with my coffee, everything else was on the weigth watchers diet and not on mine! After the usual puff and primp we walked downtown to catch the trolley for a little sightseeing. It was an informative trip around Provincetown by a enormous woman who interspersed her infotale with at least 4 sandwiches. She was full of good information though, we learned about the town, the pilgrims and the local flora and fauna. It was wall worth the $15.00 a person. I was seriously starving and Trolly lady had suggested the Lobster Pot for Lobster Bisque, so in we went. To say Jodi is not much of a seafood eater is a gross understatement. She was not enchanted by the sights and smells emanating from the joint, but I was. My soup was good, though I have to say that the Polo Club at home does it better. Jodi had a vegetarian wrap which looked good but she was underwhelmed. Next was a trip to the Pilgrim monument and museum, where we watched "HerStory, a documentary about the women of P Town. IT was good and thought provoking for me, Then at the advice of the Trolly lady, I wondered if she had ever actually done it, we climb to the top of the Pilgrim Monument Tower. It was a awesome view, even though it had clouded up Pretty cool to see the P Town Harbor from one side and the Atlantic Ocean from the other. So frozen that my fingers were white, I wanted a cup of Joe, but all the cute little coffee houses were either closed for the winter or for the day by 5PM. So we went into Bayside Bettys Diner were Jodi had onion rings she deemed good, and I had Banana Bread Pudding swimming in carmel sauce and fresh bananas. I sometimes wonder when will man ever learn that bananas do not bake well into desserts, but yet once again I was treated to tough bananas on the top of what would have otherwise been a scrumptious dessert. So, Betty, leave the bananas out of the oven and slice up more on the side!

At 7 PM we wanted to see a Duo called Blaze and Kelly sing. They had been touted as being similar to the Indigo Girls and a fellow lodger had recommended them for their divine harmony. They were awesome. Mo Kelly reminded me of a singer from my past, Barbara Ann Humphrey, and the harmony was indeed splendid! The only blight on the entire day was the rain that Blaze and Kelly called out of the sky which made for a soggy trip back to the Inn.

The ubiquitous

I have come to some profound, and rather unpleasant conclusions on this trip. We Americans, like expedient, Regardless of the consequences. Driving along tree lined interstate gazing at tree after tree, wondering what was on the other side of those trees, I began to dream about a cute little place to have a coffee and snack. Once off the freeway, there was Panera, Dunkin Donuts, or McDonald's, but nothing local. What have we done to ourselves? Where is the surprise, or serendipity at always knowing that if you show up you will get 2 all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce cheese on a sesame seed bun, EVERY time? Do we desire security that much? Are we in too big a hurry? Or it is what we want what we want every time? So my favorite comparison is France, and I consider travel there, some times you do get a dud, you stumble into a little bar that has horrid coffee, but more often than not you stumble into a quaint little place that a family owns, not some power hungry corporation.

We arrived in Provincetown MA this afternoon, stinking hungry, at least I was. We checked into our B&B, the Bayberry and were pleased. It is a cozy room with antiques, and comfort all rolled into one. They have done well with their place and seem to be very pleasant people. Off to satisfy my desire for fuel. We found a place called the black and white, where I had my first lobster roll. Accompanied by sweet potato fries, heaven is not too lush a word for this scrumptious treat. Jodi was blessed by the sauteed vegetables on the menu, we were both happy. I had called and arranged the delayed sunset cruise, which was awesome, who knew Jodi is not so fond of boats? But she bellied up and we had a great time. I brought a cherished bottle of carmenerre and we shared it while watching the sun set. Not a colorful event tonight either, but lovely none the less. By now hunger was evident again. Advice from a unhappy pizza eater, avoid Pizza joints called “George”!

Excursions of Newport Rhode Island - not sitting in the street crying.

Seriously, who knew Yale University was in New Haven, Connecticut? We wandered around Yale university appreciating the buildings before heading toward our next destination, Newport Rhode Island. We decided, rather than more quick but boring interstate we wanted to do some wandering. When I was a kid we traveled near the ocean on A1A in Florida. I imagined that, here, 1A would keep us nearer the water, & at least be more interesting, It was! We caught glimpses of water, lovely gardens full of the remnants of summer and picturesque New England homes. We even managed to stumble onto a lighthouse. Only about three stories tall, Jodi wondered about how visible it really was. After much wandering we crossed not one but two incredible bridges and we were in Newport! This night we were to be in jail. the Jailhouse Inn that is. It is a lovely little hotel created from an old jailhouse. Good service, nice rooms, breakfast was included and there are even Chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon. So far this trip had mot been much about great food, not because i did not want it but everything had fell rather flat. The mushroom soup, or rather pudding, the veggie burger; ok the pizza hut pizza was ok good, but otherwise I was really hoping for some good food. We walked down to the water and began looking. Bar 22 was right on the wharf and had outside seating right in the 80 degree sun! A fact I kept telling myself that I needed to enjoy because it could be the last. I had a crab cake swimming in a spicy sauce, covered in finely chopped red onion and accompanied by blue cheese dressing. To accompany this bliss was a tomato sage bisque. The best way I can describe this is to compare it Paneras creamy tomatoe soup, but only 10 times better! Sated at last I was ready to BEGIN this trip! We tried to sign up for a sunset cruise, but alas it was full. We wandered a bit and then decided to have a look at the infamous mansions of Newport. IT was way too much fun. We started driving from Jodi’s memories from a previous trip. Mansions that seem to be able to put the Chateau of the Loire to shame. We ended up sitting in the grass on a sea wall watching the sun go down. It was lovely, the sun going down in front of us and the moon coming up behind.

Suggested Speed 10-9-11

Driving down I95 at the posted speed limit of 55-mph, I had an epiphany. They don't really mean what they have posted, it must be just a suggestion. Seriously I was the only person driving the powered number, one fellow even felt that he needed to bring it to my attention by a friendly honk as he zipped around me.

We started out our day today with much less color, much more green? But the scenery made up for itself! We were at the top of the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi , as ER rolled over the hill, there ahead of us was a hauntingly lovely valley with clouds nestled in. We got to drive right through those clouds. Later I got to experience the same thing, but this time there was downtown Manhattan! Feeling a little worried about driving in New York, my worries were overwhelmed by the beauty of the vista. The amazement at the beauty quickly faded at the rubbish lying there along the road. I drove across THE George Washington bridge! That was a kick, if I could avoid the rubbish filled roadway and just gaze at the bridge I could even say it was beautiful.

The owner of the Farnham B&B was not here and I had planned on picking her brains for dinner recommendations. We stopped a lash getting groceries out of her car and she told us to head downtown, and not to loiter in her neighborhood, it was not so good!

We ended up at Claires, a veterinarian (oops a freudian slip- I meant vegetarian) cafe. I had been considering a vege burger for a while and this seemed to be the time to try it, but well, not a do over. So far this trip has not been a culinary delight.

The Farnham B&B is rather off the beaten track, but Jodi said that she felt it was rather noisy sleeping. To be fair it was lovely outside and the windows were open, my favorite sleeping weather, but noisy!