Mount Defiance

After hiking up to the top of Mount Defiance this Fourth of July weekend, it was refreshing to see the American flag flying at the crest. It wasn't always that way though. Several different flags have flown from this lofty position. On July 5th of 1777, General John Burgoyne had placed two cannons and the Union Jack atop this location.

As your eye would see it, two cannons pointed in the direction of Fort Ticonderoga. I would find it hard to believe that even a well seasoned artillery team could cause too much damage, if any, upon Fort Ticonderoga seen in the far distance in the middle of the peninsula.

Sandi snagged this photo of me pretending to be the British General totally pleased with myself that after dragging only two artillery pieces up the step mount, General Arthur St. Clair, Colonial Commander of the fort, abandoned the fort to the British without a single shot being fired. Idiot!

From this vantage point you can see up Lake Champlain all the way to New France.

Putnam Pond, New York

By now we would imagine that everyone is getting bored by always seeing a photo of the truck and the Airstream situated in some site of a campground. For all you would know we just move the truck around from one site to another at the same campground!

Actually we are always some where different and we decided that we would have to stay home one weekend of each month. This year for the Forth of July we decided to celebrate the holiday at Fort Ticonderoga, a location filled with history starting in 1666. The actual fort was built in 1758 by the French. Several key battles were fought between France and England and the fort eventually fell to the British. Fast forward a bit, May 10th, 1775 and the fort was taken by Colonel Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen & The Green Mountain Boys. And so the story continues. There are so many flags flying at the fort today you do need a quick history lesson to figure out who is who.

The Dump

OK, so it may not be a big deal to most of my readers but check it out, 0004!
The dump is a Saturday morning ritual which since we are always camping has become only a once a month occasion. Permits are issued around the first of June but many of us get our checks into the town clerk way before that always looking for the coveted low number. As luck has it I have the same number as last year. See the early bird does get the worm, or in this case the low number. There is only one place other than the dump to meet up with friends and trade the male gossip of town and that is at Nick's Barber shop. Since I don't have much hair left, the dump is still the best spot in town.

Riverside Marina

We spent the weekend on the Connecticut River with our friends from the Charter Oak Unit of WBCCI at a very cool well kept secret of a campground right on the river.

Friday night was the night before a full moon.

And what a view, camping right on the river with water and electric.


Of course there is nothing much better than an Airstream, actually seventeen of them, in the middle of a marina filled with boats. Oh, there is one very pretty Bristol sailboat for sale which I was able to go on board. It will be in the water in a few weeks. I think we will be camping here again in the very near future.


A view from the river looking up at the happy campers.

Looking up the river toward Middletown. Our host had posted that one of their members, Toni, was wondering if anyone else would be bringing their kayak's. I always have mine on the truck so we spent four hours paddling the river together. We went up river and found Madabassett river and it was incredible! Beavers, Herons, Wigeons, turtles and a whole bunch more. We are planning on going back in the fall.

I never try a new dish at a rally before testing it but this was an exception. A new Mac & Cheese, no bake with Gruyere cheese, slab bacon, leeks, and a few other ingredients.

No doubt, it was too hot to be inside cooking, but Sandi was helping with all the prep and we pulled off a wonderful new dish. Good news, I wrote this one down!

As with any Airstream rally there is always lots and lots of food for everyone.

Here are a few of our fellow campers getting the pot luck dinner ready.

Toni, my new kayaking buddy, surprised everone with a case of bubbly to celebrate her last day of being sixty-nine years old.

Not sure how it happened but it became my responsibility to make sure Toni always had an open bottle to pour!