Grey Fox Music Festival

Welcome to day one of Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival.

The event is does not kick-off till tomorrow

but the vendors and artists are setting up

and our "town" is starting to take shape.

The Walsh Farm is a working farm except for the seven days

for the festival where it becomes home to thousands of folks.

Welcome to our little neck of the woods, Rich and Sue are camped right

next to us making it a great spot to rest, cook and relax.

Yes, Mr. Bill made it and has been very busy checking the schedule.

Penmar is a proud sponsor of the event this year and they are very

muck looking forward to our support agai next year!

July 4th 2008

Down Town Old Orchard Beach is not very large. Two main roads

leading into the center of town. A very nice center gathering spot

with benches and tables surrounded by the

rides and food stands. There is almost always

some type of live music.

The entrance to the boardwalk Pier which has several small shops, a few

food stalls and a night spot at the end.

A view of some of the stands along the center court.

A night view of the ferris wheel from the beach at night.

Every Thursday night during the season they have fireworks.

This week they had them Thursday and Friday.

They put on a really great show.

Mr. Bill

While we were in town the other day we came across Mr. Bill.

Mr. Bill was all alone so we decided to take him home with us.

Even though we didn't go right back to the Airstream,

Mr. Bill had a busy night.

In his appreciation for us taking him on a trip he tried his hand at parking cars

to earn a few dollars. That didn't work out too well.

Mr. Bill got canned, literally! Once we rescued him from the trash

we continued on our way.

We stopped at a book store on the main street and Mr. Bill it was learned was

a Red Sox fan just like us.

Taking in the sight of OOB, Mr. Bill decided to take a rest.

We found a very nice couple that was more than happy to watch over Mr. Bill while

we continued shopping.

If there is a Cabela's to be found, we will find it. A new retail shop just opend in Maine. It is probably the smallest we have been to but still in the great style and service we love.

We were able to take full advantage of the kennels with all three of Sarah's dog with us on this trip.

It has been just over a year since Sandi and I have been to Old Orchard Beach... the last time there were very few people since it was a few weeks before the start of the season. Well this weekend the season was in full swing!

One of the many great things of visiting a summer vacation spot in New England is some of the oddities you find. We are all familiar with the dropping claw machine which activates after depositing a few quarters..... you hope to snag a little stuffed animal or a "Rolex".. this one had lobsters in it.

"T" Shirts are standard fare for all tourist destinations and OOB is no exception. This one though did require posting. With a slight verbage and graphic change it could make us very wealthy in the Airstream community.

Now here is an item I think no woman should be without. It's a coconut purse! Not only is it very unique and a conversation piece but in a pinch it becomes a bikini top! You just open the zipper all the way and use the handles as the straps and instant breast concealment.

Wild Duck Campground

Wild Duck Camground is located in Scarborough Maine.

A small campground with about 70 site we were very fortunate

to have secured the three site out in the middle of the sea-marsh.

Please don't get any silly ideas, "Adult Campground" means no

guests under the age of 18 years old!

We were able to 'spy' Robin & Richard heading in.

You have to drive a small roadway between the march and a pond to

get into the actual camping area

With all three Airstreams parked and set we are now ready for

a nice long 4th of July Weekend.

We had discussed the plans for the long weekend and they were quite simple: Relax!

Each morning we stepped out of our Airstream and were greated

by a wonderful view of the marsh, birds and wildlife.

Water Pump

We spend a lot of time boondocking [no hook-ups] when camping and we become totally dependant on what we can carry into the campground and out. For the past few trips the water pump had seemed to become louder and louder. It worked fine but our Airstream was begining to act like a 110 year old house. We know, we own one.One of the things that always amazed me was the mess in my mini basement. Pipes, wires and connectors everywhere. I ended up removing the water pump, organizing the basic wiring and wrapping it all in flex-tube. Back to the pump, I built a foundation out of EPS, remounted it and added soft pipe extentions.
As you can see the result is a little bit more organization of the rats nest wiring but most important, a perfectly silent water pump!

Galillee

We went for ride today to visist some of the local spots and one of our stops was Point Judith Lighthouse. It is still a Coast Guard Station and a popular spot. Still a working lighthouse. This is actually the second lighthouse, the first a wooden structure destroyed in a storm in the late 1800's.

We all have heard a fog horn at one point or other but this is the first time I was actually able to get close to one. Something you really don't want to do for more than a minute or two. Compact in size but very loud!

The point is surrounded by a pebble beach on one side and breakers on the other. A very nice spot to just sit and relax and enjoy the sea breezes.The town of Galillee is a working seaport with a wide range of seagoing vessels. From small one man lobster boats to deep sea boats brining in a vast array of harvests.
Lobsters along with clams are two of the most popular visitor fares for a great meal.

Our host for this visit was Monica who came back out east to share time with friends and family who did not get out to Colorado for her wedding to Kurt. We had a wonderful visit and Sandi and Monica had time to catch up. Monica's Mom has a wonderful little house out on Great Island just outside of town. A supper little island filled with a variety of nice homes and great views.

Ocean Side Weather

While most of the area at home has been suffering a heat wave and pasing thunderstorms and high humidity we have been very lucky here in Narragansett.

We have had to close our windows and fans at night before going to bed, enjoyed late day bike rides and temps in the upper 70's.

We went into town this afternoon to met up with Monica, her new husband Kurt and the rest of the family. Monica's brother hosted a wonderful luncheon at George's right on the channal. The food was very tasty and it was nice meeting some of Sandi's friends from before Rick Era.

Saturday In Narragansett

It has been a bit windy out here at Fisnermen's Memorial but we were able to fly

our wonderful Wedding Flag.

We sepnt a good part of our Friday Shopping at the REI Store. We had a shopping list of about three items but left with two bags and two new bikes. We have been considering new bikes for the past three seasons and finally made the move. So many of the areas and camp grounds we camp at are bike friendly and after three hours we had the two bikes best suited for us and our needs. Once we returned to the campground we spent the rest of the late afternoon exploring on our bikes. On thing we discovered is that my front derailer is not properly agligned and we will need to take another trip back to REI and have it properly adjusted. This afternoon we have a party to go to being held in honor of the marrage of one of Sandi's High School friends. It should be fun for Sandi to catch up with old friends and I guess I will be making a few new ones. The weather has been cool and overcast so far but promised to break this afternoon.

Narragansett, RI

This weekend is our First Anniversary Celebration.
Officially it was on Monday and we camped last weekend with our
good friends Rich & Eleanor but this weekend is for us.
We arrived at Fishermen's Memorial around 7:30 and got the
Airstream all set up. It was then that I realized no cable for the Nikon
so you will have to wait till tomorrow for photos, sorry.
Time to start dinner on the grill.

Hyde Park, NY

We made plans with Rich and Eleanor to met up in Hyde Park New York for the weekend. Rich and I had a bit of magazine stuff to go over and Sandi and Eleanor had a great time catching up. We had never been to this part of New York so it was a treat for all four of us. Emma was kidnapped by her grandparents so it was just the four of us.

We were treated by Rich making the reservations for us on this trip. We had several options including inviting them to spend time in our driveway which we had discussed but since Sandi and I will travel anywhere anytime we opted for the camp ground.

Well whenever there are two or more Airstreams in one location you have to take a photo.

We went out on Saturday to visit the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park which happens to be the smallest Vanderbilt mansion. Actually our Ranger was a really great guy but I just had to post this photo, gives the appearance that he didn't like the question the visitor asked him.

The grounds are just beautiful even this early in the season. We weren't allowed to take photos inside so that you would buy the many books available in the gift shop. The story of how the mansion became a National Park is very interesting and the interior a perfect example of the Gilded Age.

One of the only plants that were blooming were the Tulip Tress.

Of the many gardens, I think the Pool Garden is my favorite, but another trip will probably change my mind. The rose garden is probably incredible.
Eleanor and Sandi walking the grounds. We were treated to an overcast day and the rain held off for the most part. After leaving the park we stopped at Duncan Donuts for good conversation and some coffee, they had the local radio station playing and we heard the National Emergency Alert and it wasn't a test!
We ran back to the camp ground with the threat of 65 MPH winds, ground stricking lightening and hail a very strong possibility. We fired up the laptop and tracked the storm.
It didn't take long for the sky to turn that very strange green-black color and we had some very intense lighteneing and thunder. As we stood outside watching the storm move north we counted our lucky stars that it tracked exactly seven miles north of us.

As many of you may know, Sandi and I love diners and Rich and Eleanor are of the same mindset. We hit paydirt in Hyde Park! The Everyday Diner is a must stop. Fair prices, great service, large portions and very good food.

I wasn't kidding about the amount of food either. Happy Campers.

We haven't come across many Diners with Mascots, but here is Ed!