Earlier this past week Jerry and I decided to walk to the Kenton County Library, about 1 ½ miles one way.
We had a book to return and we had decided to have a ‘movie night’ one night a week. Last week Jerry brought home ‘Ground Hog Day’. Thank goodness it was my turn to choose this week. My choice was a nature show about the Galapagos. More about that at a later date.
Anyway I filled my string backpack with a few books and the DVD. On the way home we both thought that perhaps we could stop and have lunch along the way. Any of you who have walked this trail – opps, path know that the pickin’s are pretty slim in Covington. But wait, The Anchor Grill was not too far out of the way.
You have to understand that 36 years ago when we were young and had just met Jerry picked me up from work and took me to The Anchor Grill for our first dinner out together. I had never been there before and though I was tired from working a 3-11, I was also hungry. And I trusted Jerry. That was 36 years ago!
There is still a sign in the window that I’m convinced has been there since the beginning of eternity, “We may doze but we never close." There is a new sign now this one on each table. "Anyone ordering between 1:00-4:00 a.m. must pay for the meal when the food arrives." This is apparently due to the large number of ‘walk outs’.
There is still a little mechanical band up in the corner of one of the room. When you put money in the juke box the curtain in front of the band parts and the little guys move as the music plays. However, alas, the coin slot at each of the tables had been taped over. How sad! The band has been silenced!
Not much else has changed in the last 36 years. Except now the dust is a little thicker.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
The Journey Continues
This past week I turned 62. WooHoo, I’m 62. Well, now what? That’s THE
question at the moment.
Since arriving back home I feel that I’ve settled in to the same old same old.
I really don’t like that feeling. Yea, I know its okay to sit still for a while
and listen for the next step but I certainly don’t want to sit still too long.
So for my 62nd birthday I wanted to visit a National Park so that I could
purchase my very own Life Time National Park Pass for only $10. I feel that I
have arrived! Thanks to an overnight trip to Mammoth Cave I now have in my
possession that special pass that honors me for being old. I’ve had an AARP
card for some time now. Not the same. The National Park pass gets me outdoors.
When we visited Acadia a few weeks ago (really, only a few weeks ago?) it cost
us $20. to ride though the park. The Shenandoah visit was $15. Now I have this
nifty little park pass that gets me in any National Park FREE. Not only that,
three (3) other adults can get in FREE with me, regardless of their age. How
great is that! Now I can listen to my favorite wind chime – the rustle of the
leaves in the treetops or as they are falling, dancing on the wind, we can
wonder at the spring wildflowers and try to remember their names, go sled riding
and make snow angels on the golf course near the cabins, play games on the
screened in cabin porch to escape the summer heat, walk through the woods
kicking the fallen leaves, kayak on the lake, search for the woodpecker that we
can hear but so seldom see and so much more.
I have this nifty little pass…. Anyone want to come along?
question at the moment.
Since arriving back home I feel that I’ve settled in to the same old same old.
I really don’t like that feeling. Yea, I know its okay to sit still for a while
and listen for the next step but I certainly don’t want to sit still too long.
So for my 62nd birthday I wanted to visit a National Park so that I could
purchase my very own Life Time National Park Pass for only $10. I feel that I
have arrived! Thanks to an overnight trip to Mammoth Cave I now have in my
possession that special pass that honors me for being old. I’ve had an AARP
card for some time now. Not the same. The National Park pass gets me outdoors.
When we visited Acadia a few weeks ago (really, only a few weeks ago?) it cost
us $20. to ride though the park. The Shenandoah visit was $15. Now I have this
nifty little park pass that gets me in any National Park FREE. Not only that,
three (3) other adults can get in FREE with me, regardless of their age. How
great is that! Now I can listen to my favorite wind chime – the rustle of the
leaves in the treetops or as they are falling, dancing on the wind, we can
wonder at the spring wildflowers and try to remember their names, go sled riding
and make snow angels on the golf course near the cabins, play games on the
screened in cabin porch to escape the summer heat, walk through the woods
kicking the fallen leaves, kayak on the lake, search for the woodpecker that we
can hear but so seldom see and so much more.
I have this nifty little pass…. Anyone want to come along?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Sleepless in Covington
So I dug out a pair of ‘farm socks’, socks I never thought I would wear in public again, socks I should have thrown out when I left New Hampshire but didn’t, and we stayed on the road one more night.
We left Hagerstown MD and headed for Shenandoah National Park. Jerry had hiked through the park back in May and my BFF, Karen and I visited with him for about a week and kept ourselves busy doing Trail Magic along Skyline Drive.
One more night on the road, one more night in the tent. We had decided to camp which worked out well because there were no lodge rooms available in the park. I had the camping equipment in the car since the end of July. We might as well put it to use one more time. We camped in the Big Meadow Campgrounds. There were the usual deer, fun to watch. The weather was mild. The sunset was once again beyond words.
As a cold front blew through in the middle of the night and I could hear leaves hitting the rain fly and slide down the sides of the tent I realized that when I had set up the tent I did not look up to check for any dead limbs that might be hanging from the trees above us. It all worked out well, nothing but leaves ended up falling on the tent. We slept well.
A middle of the night visit outside the tent revealed a heaven full of stars. The Milky Way was visible, as always a wonder to behold.
As the promise of dawn broke, we broke camp and except for a stop or two to view the sunrise we spent the next 10 hours in the car headed towards home and the family.
So now I am sleepless in Covington. The once normal sounds of the night are new again, our bed much too comfortable.
We left Hagerstown MD and headed for Shenandoah National Park. Jerry had hiked through the park back in May and my BFF, Karen and I visited with him for about a week and kept ourselves busy doing Trail Magic along Skyline Drive.
One more night on the road, one more night in the tent. We had decided to camp which worked out well because there were no lodge rooms available in the park. I had the camping equipment in the car since the end of July. We might as well put it to use one more time. We camped in the Big Meadow Campgrounds. There were the usual deer, fun to watch. The weather was mild. The sunset was once again beyond words.
As a cold front blew through in the middle of the night and I could hear leaves hitting the rain fly and slide down the sides of the tent I realized that when I had set up the tent I did not look up to check for any dead limbs that might be hanging from the trees above us. It all worked out well, nothing but leaves ended up falling on the tent. We slept well.
A middle of the night visit outside the tent revealed a heaven full of stars. The Milky Way was visible, as always a wonder to behold.
As the promise of dawn broke, we broke camp and except for a stop or two to view the sunrise we spent the next 10 hours in the car headed towards home and the family.
So now I am sleepless in Covington. The once normal sounds of the night are new again, our bed much too comfortable.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
On the way home - perhaps
Is it time to go home when you run out of clean socks? Or do you just buy new ones?
Sunday was spent on the road once again traveling from Bangor PA to Hagerstown, MD. We were welcomed by Ann and Tom with opened arms. Their daughter Laura, aka L.T. hiked with Clair back in ’03. We first met Tom when he summitted with the kids then. Ann we met at Laura and Matt’s wedding 5 years ago. They also graciously took Jerry in for the night as he passed by their place back in June.
We had a wonderful evening and a great bed. Ann sent us off with a packed lunch.
We headed west - towards Kentucky.
Sunday was spent on the road once again traveling from Bangor PA to Hagerstown, MD. We were welcomed by Ann and Tom with opened arms. Their daughter Laura, aka L.T. hiked with Clair back in ’03. We first met Tom when he summitted with the kids then. Ann we met at Laura and Matt’s wedding 5 years ago. They also graciously took Jerry in for the night as he passed by their place back in June.
We had a wonderful evening and a great bed. Ann sent us off with a packed lunch.
We headed west - towards Kentucky.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
6/1
MA, CN, NY, RI, NJ, PA all on Saturday.
Today we head to MD to visit friends who graced Jerry with Trail Magic as he past through oh so many months ago.
Today we head to MD to visit friends who graced Jerry with Trail Magic as he past through oh so many months ago.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
All Aboard !
All aboard! The sun came out this morning - for about 20 minutes and then it started to rain again. So we opted for a 2 hour scenic train ride across the Cape. So we drove across the Cape to board the train that took us across the cape to where we are staying before it returned across the Cape to the place where be boarded the train so that we could get off the train and return to the town where we are staying and where we just visited on the train. Hmmm…
We learned some things about the Cape, Cranberries and Historical Characters. The one thing they did not talk about was what looked to me like a homeless encampment just outside the train station. There were tarps and lean-tos nestled in the trees and bushes. Okay, the whole issue of how this all fits together for me has been just under the surface and I really have been working on keeping it there. Just for a little bit longer. The New Orleans experience is still fresh, the Emergency Cold Shelter is starting to gear up again. As we have been traveling and visiting the different towns that ‘make it all happen’ by offering all kinds of stuff to buy and enjoy – ‘money makes the world go ‘round.’ Wait, I think this is another blog. It will surface soon, I’m sure.
On the way back we did go in search of the National Sea Shore and we found it. What beauty! - The power of the ocean, the size of the dunes - breath taking!
It is so good for us to be here. We are grateful.
We learned some things about the Cape, Cranberries and Historical Characters. The one thing they did not talk about was what looked to me like a homeless encampment just outside the train station. There were tarps and lean-tos nestled in the trees and bushes. Okay, the whole issue of how this all fits together for me has been just under the surface and I really have been working on keeping it there. Just for a little bit longer. The New Orleans experience is still fresh, the Emergency Cold Shelter is starting to gear up again. As we have been traveling and visiting the different towns that ‘make it all happen’ by offering all kinds of stuff to buy and enjoy – ‘money makes the world go ‘round.’ Wait, I think this is another blog. It will surface soon, I’m sure.
On the way back we did go in search of the National Sea Shore and we found it. What beauty! - The power of the ocean, the size of the dunes - breath taking!
It is so good for us to be here. We are grateful.
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