Log cabin in the woods

We left Montreal yesterday early in leaden skies and drizzle but were shocked on our coffee stop on the road into Ontario to find that the temperature had slumped to 6C! We were glad that when we reached Duane and Carol Dillman's log cabin near Charleston Lake that they had a good wood burning stove well lit. So last night was a full session of Mexican Train. Today at least its bright but still chilly. (Brian won the Train)

Reached Montreal

Our journey north has ended when we reached Sue and Paul's Baei D'Urfe home this afternoon. Our final drive from Burlington took us through the islands in Lake Champlain which are very rural and are linked by causeways and lead up to the US Canada border. We got into Canada with no bother and there was not even a US border guard to bother us leaving the States. We worked out that we have journeyed to or through 11 States plus Washington DC, including visiting 3 big cities, which seems not bad. Apart from getting lost a few times the travel has been fine and often enjoyable. Brian thinks New York was the highlight, particularly the Empire State and the Village Vanguard closely followed by the Shaker Village in New Hampshire. Our visit was really enjoyable, everyone extremly helpful and friendly, we really felt we could talk to anyone. We saw the Vice President, a Senator, four Sherrifs from Florida and more fine art, buildings, monuments and countryside than we could have hoped for. We did see homeless people in NY particularly but you will probably see more guns in London than we have seen here - although the sight of gun stores on the highway (one called 'Awesome Ammo'!) is quite disturbing. All in all it has been a very positive and memorable experience - we will look forward to showing you the photos! Brian Yes the Shaker village was really wonderful, very peaceful and plain, but in a very delightful way. Wonderful bits of furniture, made to be useful, the right size for the job to be done at it and fantastic cupboards with draws of all sizes. One of the best things was a multi shelf revolving oven, in which the cooking sisters could bake 64 pies all at once! It was actually invented by one of the sisters and patented by the Shaker family. I also really liked the two art galleries we went into in New Haven at Yale University. Another high point has been the waffle making option at the motel breakfast places. All good and great to be at my sisters house now. Tess

New Hampshire to Vermont

Today we drove up to Burlington through endless trees along roads that had often been blasted out of rocky hills. The extent of the tree cover is quite amazing, there are an awful lot of trees in this part of the world as well as lakes. We passed through small settlements, but we are well away from the endless suburbs of sea side Connecticut. We stopped at one lakeshore place for a walk and looked at a local real estate free paper and the most expensive house we found was 9 million dollars. Some other of the places we drove through were much more low rent than that though. We drove across the longest covered bridge in the world and would have seen more such historic crossings but were turned back by the police because a tree had fallen on the electricity cable and there was a fire!No sooner had we turned around than a cable broke right above us and there was a shower of sparks and Paul put his foot down and we got out quick! We stopped for a coffee in Montpelier ('a small town with a big heart' and the State capital) next to a pavement table with two guys discussing politics, one of whom was the State Senator. We know this as a passer by said 'congrats Senator you're doing a great job' which immediately provoked a less favourable remark from the next passer by. Well you win some and you lose some, all in a days work for a Senator who left to get back to the State House with its impressive golden dome. Onto the Quality Inn, almost a lake view and its warm and humid. Brian and Tess

Motels and Diners

We are having the full on motel and diner experience on this trip north with Sue and Paul. Staying at the moment in the Super 8 motel and last night we walked over to the nearby Diner, all silver metal and curved glass. Waitress Norma (she wrote it on a hat and plonked it down in the centre of the table) must have been all of 4 foot 6 inches but with a voice that could cut through any diner hubbub. Strong accent as well so that when Tess (having ordered something called 'Steak Tips') was asked 'howda like yer tits cooked?' poor Norma had to stand by whilst the four of us collapsed in giggles. Weather grey and overcast, we had rain last night for the first time since our arrival on the 6th which seems a long time ago.

Movers and Shakers

We are on our way north from the New Hampshire coast (all 18 miles of it!) having spent yesterday in and around Portsmouth.Our first task was to return the hire car - we managed to make a 3 mile trip into a 20 mile up and down the Interstate.Only when we had finally dropped the car off and Brian was navigating for Paul did we discover we had working GPS on the tablet and all the times we got lost we had help to hand (Doh!). In the afternoon after lunch and a beer in a serious beer cellar (happy to give you small tasting shots to help you decide) we went up the Maine coast, nice lighthouse straight out of a Hopper painting then onto Ogunquit a smart resort where the charge of 12 dollars just to park had us turning around quick! Today we have driven up to Tilton via the Shaker village at Canterbury which was fascinating. Tess and the others been out shopping, have lost Paul but now found him. Out to a diner for a beer and to eat.

Kittery

We have arrived in Portsmouth, or more precisely we are across the river in Kittery which is in Maine not New Hampshire. We met up with Sue and Paul after a longish drive in Friday traffic. We spent the morning in Yale's two wonderful galleries. Excellent fish dinner last night - this place is full of outlet stores where you save money. I have a better way to save money - don't shop! And we have exchanged our view of the sea for a truck stop! Lovely weather again. Brian

At the Kelsey House 2

Yesterday for the first time since we arrived we did very little. We have been tramping city streets, riding subways or travelling every day so yesterday we took the hire car a bit along the coast as far as Mystic. This coastal area is one big,if extremely pretty, suburb of wooden houses mostly set among trees on fenceless plots. Think of The Ice Storm or numberless films and TV shows, cars purring by at the 25mph speed limit. The best places like this one sit on rocky headlands facing the sea, others line the endless quiet streets.There are a few beaches but not many and large areas of flat marshland. Offshore are hundreds of rocky outcrops some with large houses perched on them. Our hosts told us or one that was barged out and slid onto the prepared base. Fine and dandy in the glorious weather we have at present less good in a storm. Hurricane Sandy led to 20 houses nearby having their foundations eroded away. Today we will go into nearby New Haven to visit Yale Universities art galleries and then set off across New England up to Portsmouth, New Hampshire where we meet Tessa,s sister Sue and husband Paul who have driven down from Montreal. Weather continues to be marvellous, from our bed we can see that the Sound is so still it could have been painted. Brian and Tess