August - 2022 - Good-bye RV, Sturbridge Village, Anica's birthday and Claire's bsmt clean-up

Aug 3rd - We SOLD OUR RV!!   We decided to sell the RV to a dealer - Campers World.  Since it did not sell on the private market, after several months, and since the price of gas was going up significantly, and since we didn't want to store it again over the winter, we took a lower price and sold it to the dealer.  $102,000 wasn't bad.  We still owed $80,000 on it. And after owning it for 4 years, going to 163 RV camps and 516 travel nights, 46 States,  27 National Parks, and numerous State Parks, we decided that it was time to sell the RV and explore other types of travelling.  We did travel around the US --across the north, down the west coast, the southwest coast, the southern coasts and the eastern coasts--north and south, and a lot of the area along those routes.  Then we also did a trip straight across the center of the US (sort of) ending in Utah, and circling back again along a southerly route.  So, we have seen al of of the US.  It doesn't mean we are done with traveling -- just on long trips with the RV.  We loved our travels in the RV, and now its time to move on.  Still - it was a hard decision.

Aug 6th - Sturbridge Village was having their annual Revolutionary War re-enactment weekend.  Peter wanted to go and do some Lafayette tour networking, so we went for the day.  The village is a living museum of the 1834 era, with ongoing trades people.  The history is very interesting, but the war re-enactment is not my thing.  

Aug 13th - Anica's birthday celebration--Tamara's family, Claire & Ian, Anica's family and Scott & Amy & Adelle came to our condo to celebrate.  It was really nice having us all get together again (even though we just saw them all at Tamara's wedding, a mere month ago).  We went golf-ball hunting in our field across from the golf course (they found 10 balls --some of which were planted by their hosts, who had collected them over the past few months).  The kids loved it.  We played board games, and had a nice birthday dinner, with fresh corn on the cob.  Yum.

Aug 14th - For our daily walk, we decided to go back over to the Westville Dam trail.  Nice day, and a nice 2 mile hike around the dammed up lake.

Aug 27 - We met up at Claire's house, along with Anica and Mike with his dump truck, to clean out Claire's basement.  It had flooded a couple times, due to a problem with the sump pump.  So all of the stuff in the basement was moldy and smelled.  So we dumped all of it (actually, we put it in Mike's dump truck, who then took it to the dump).  We sanitized and cleaned the basement --what a difference.  We took the scenic route home, and stopped for ice cream in Barre, and at the lake at Rutland State Park.  

RV sold photos:

Sturbridge Village photos:

Anica's birthday celebration photos:

Westville Dam photos:

Claire's basement clean-up photos:

Bonus photos:

July 24 - July 31, 2022 - Wells State Park, Savannah's birthday, and Ipswich, MA

 July 24th - we thought if would be fun to go over to one of our local State Parks to walk around their lake.  So we drove over to Wells State Park, in Sturbridge.  But to our amazement, the lake only had access to it IF you were camping there.  No hiking trails available to the public.  We did find a little boat access, with a picnic table for non-campers.  We ate our lunch, hung out by the lake, and went home.  Oh well.  They can't ALL be great adventures.

July 27th - Since Savannah's 6th birthday was July 25th, we met up with them, and Claire, at a park in Amherst, that had a water/splash area.  Then, out to birthday dinner.  They are all growing up so quickly.  

July 29th - Another adventure.  A trip over to Ipswich, MA.  When it was cold, we had visited the Crane Estate.  But it was too cold to walk their trails or go to the beach.  So we decided to return when it was warmer.  It turned out to be really warm.  We had arranged to do a boat tour of the area around Crane Beach, Choate Island, the marsh and the Ipswich Bay.  It was interesting.  The history is interesting.  The boat tour guide, only so-so in his knowledge.  Then we drove up to Castle Hill on the Crane Estate.  A beautiful old mansion, on a hill overlooking the Crane beach and the Bay.  You could walk inside the mansion, and around the many manicured grounds and gardens.  Another nice day.

July 24th photos:

Wells State Park, Sturbridge, MA

July 25th-Savannah's 6th birthday photos:

Savannah's birthday present-horse back riding lessons

July 27th - celebrating Savannah's birthday photos:

July 29th- Castle Hill on the Crane Estate and boat tour photos:

Boat tour

July 7 - 20, 2022 - Southwick Zoo, Thoreau Society, Waschusetts Mtn, and Ogunquit, Maine.

 After such a wonderful wedding week, the rest of the month looks rather "plain".  However, we did have some interesting, fun adventures.

July 7th - we went with Anica's family to the Southwick Zoo.  A nice variety of mostly outdoor animals.  A good long walk, and a fun time.  Quinn & Owen loved it. 

July 8th - The Thoreau Society in Concord, MA did a showing of Peter's documentary film about the life of Margaret Fuller.  Margaret hung out with the Transcendentalists of the time, including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Thoreau.  It was a really good turn-out, shown in a great auditorium.  Peter was really pleased, tickled really, to have them show the film.  They had a good Q&A afterwards.

July 17th - we decided we needed to get out and about a bit, so drove over to the Waschusetts Mountain State Reservation.  We could drive up to the top of the mountain, enjoy the view, and hike a bit around.  A nice activity.  

July 20th - Another day trip (its almost like when we were traveling in the RV, doing day trips to interesting places nearby).  This time we drove over to the Maine coast, to Ogunquit, Maine.  On the way there, we stopped in Kittery, Maine at the Fort McClary State Historic site.  An old fort that overlooks the Piscataqua River, that actually looks like a bay.  

Next we stopped at the Qgunquit Museum of American Art.  Very nicely landscaped grounds.  We ate our picnic lunch in one of their gardens.  The museum was interesting, and just OK.  

Starting in Ogunquit, there is a really delightful mile-long walk along the cliffs along the coast, called the Marginal Way.  It had lots of benches, incredible views of the rocky coastline, and sweet beaches only accessible at low tide.  Just my kind of nature.  This was a GREAT walk and a very good day.

July 7 photos:

Q&A after showing the Margaret Fuller film

Thoreau Society showing of Peter's Margaret Fuller film.

Library in Concord, MA

July 17th photos:

Waschusetts Mountain State Pk

July 20th photos:

Marginal Way trail, Ogunquit, Maine

Ogunquit Museum of Art

Fort McClary, Kittery, Maine

Fort McClary, Kittery, Maine