It was Thursday June 12, 2003 and my plane was delayed in Detroit for an hour. While I was wandering around the Detroit airport, what do you suppose I found. If you guessed a Harley Shop you would be right, for right there in the dang airport was an outlet store for the Motown Harley. It was too strange to pass up, so I just had to buy Bill a t-shirt. Just had to. Anyway with the hour delay, this put me at the Bradley airport at 8:00 pm. I was exhausted and starved to death. I had not eaten anything since real early that morning and could have eaten an entire cow right there and then. I was not sure where Bill was going to meet me; because of the security at the airports he could not meet me as I disembarked the plane. So I just started walking toward the baggage pick-up area and hoped I would run into him somewhere along the way. If all else failed, I could try him on his cell phone and find out where he was. I don�t know why I was even a bit worried about it; because he was waiting for me just on the other side of the security checkpoint. As soon as I came within view of the checkpoint I saw him leaning up against the wall waiting for me. I was greeted with the biggest hug and warmest kiss, followed up with more hugs and more kisses. Boy we sure missed each other. It had only been 7 weeks, but it sure seemed longer. It might have also had something to do with the fact that I was coming to him this time too. Bill just seemed somehow different to me, somehow more excited, happier if that is possible.
Bill had not eaten dinner yet either, so after grabbing my bags, we headed in search of a place that grabbed us both and said, �eat here�. I was totally amazed at how green everything was, there were trees, plants and grass growing everywhere I looked. What a sharp contrast to the sagebrush and lava rock my neck of Idaho has to offer. Anyway we drove to Middletown and found a new place called the First and Last Tavern. It looked promising so we parked and went in. Bill ordered Eggplant something or other and I ordered the Chicken Caesar Salad. Snacking on hot sour dough bread and sipping a glass of white zin and soda water, we talked of my flight and what we were going to need to get for the family gathering the next night. Oh boy, I had almost forgotten about that or at least I tried to. Thanks baby.
We finished our dinner and were back in Bill�s truck and headed for his house. Sandy, Bill�s sister was nice enough to stay at Tommy�s tonight so we had the house to ourselves. Hummmm what were we going to do. Sleep was not real high on the list of things that was for sure. Bill showed me around a bit and then we carried my things upstairs and put them in his room. I was finally in his room. I had talked to him every night while he lay in his bed and I was finally here to see what it looked like from his end. Now when I talk to him I will be able to picture him in his environment. This was very cool. Bill�s room is definitely a man�s room, no decorations on the walls and miscellaneous items stacked on the dresser and on the desk and on any other surface he could find. Hummm what I could do if I were allowed, but I promised him that I wouldn�t say anything and I didn�t, well until now anyway. He had spent many hours cleaning his room and making it presentable and I love him for it. So what did it look like before, I could only imagine�.hehehe..I love you baby!!!!
Friday morning finds us lazing in bed and enjoying each other�s company. We were not in a real big hurry to get up and didn�t have to be anywhere so what the heck. We did agree to meet Tara and the boys for an ice skating session at noon, so we did need to get up before than, but why push it. Meeting Tara, well here goes nothing. She was very much looking forward to meeting this woman who had made her Uncle Wilbur so happy and couldn�t wait until that evening with the rest of the family. She is such a doll. I liked her the minute we meet, even before that, when I received a wonderful card from her and the boys thanking me for the �Hockey Guys� I had picked up for them at the Colorado Avalanche�s game I had attended while in Denver. Her son Danny is on a kids Hockey team and I thought they would get a kick out of them. Well we arrived before they did, so we went inside and waited by the rink for them, 15 minutes or so went by before they arrived and I got more and more nervous as I waited. Kinda like waiting in the lobby to be called for an interview. Once they arrived, we said our quick hello�s and then got involved with getting Bill and the boys into their skates and out onto the ice. I held Dylan and made the funny �talking to baby� noises and hoped for the best. Sure didn�t want him to freak out on me or anything. He must have read my mind and decided to like me, because he smiled and decided I was okay. What a cutie he is. Watching and talking about Bill and the boys helped break the ice between us and we chit chatted for the time they were skating. It was mostly just small talk with no real direct questions being asked. That was good. I am an open book person, but didn�t want to be put on the interrogating block either. We enjoyed each other�s company and the time flew by. Before we knew it, the boys were done and the sweaty gloves and socks were peeled off. Little Danny thought it was real funny that his gloves were all sweaty and stinky and made everyone smell them, yuck. We said our good-byes and see ya tonight�s and were back in the truck and headed for the grocery store for snack makings.
Tara did not even wait to get home before she was on her cell phone bragging that she met me first. This cracked me up, what did they think I was anyway, some celebrity or something. I was just a hick town Idaho girl and was being treated as something special.
I had brought cheese curds, pepperoni sticks and Idaho Spud Bars from Boise, but wanted to make chocolate dipped strawberries and Bill wanted to get some veggies and some dip makings. We ended up with a nice variety of snack items and with what others were bringing and the shrimp Bill already had, plus Bill�s wonderful homemade sourdough bread..hummmm. We would have a nice spread laid out for all to enjoy. Now for the hard part, waiting for people to arrive. And arrive they did, first Bill�s sister, Sandy got home from work and we chatted. Then the rest started to get there. Let�s see, who all came? Bill�s brother Bob and his wife Marianne, his sister Phyllis and boyfriend Bob, Niece Tara and husband Danny with their boys Danny, David, Dylan, friend Paula, Step-mother Eleanore, niece Michelle and her daughters Kayla, Bryana and friends Marty & Mary, and of course his sister Sandy was there. Bob & Marianne brought me beautiful flowers to welcome me to Connecticut. We sat around the table and chatted about different things, I listened mostly and laughed at their tales. Answered a few questions and had a good time. Everyone was so great and I felt so comfortable and welcomed by all. The family made me real glad that I had agreed to come to Connecticut to meet everyone. Bill and I had went out to the living room to visit for a while as some of them started to depart. When everyone finished saying their good-byes and we wandered into the kitchen to clean up the mess, it was all done. Some wonderful persons had it all cleaned up and put away. Wow was that a wonderful surprise. So whoever you wonderful people were. THANK YOU!!!!
Morning brings us the hope of a little sun, so we take advantage of it and jump on Bill�s Harley. By the way, that would be a 2003 100-anniversary edition Road King, gunmetal blue for those of you who haven�t seen it yet and my first ride on it with him. We made a somewhat loop through North Branford, Guilford, Durham and back to Wallingford. I was in heaven, snuggled up to Bill�s back and my arms wrapped around him. I think I could have just stayed like that forever. My dad teased me when I got my tattoo saying that all I needed now was a biker man, well I think I found me one dad.
We needed to get back home so we could grab some lunch and head to the movies. We were going to go see the 1:15 showing of the Matrix-Reloaded. I had been looking forward to seeing it ever since I had heard they were making a new one and Bill and I agreed to wait until I was out there to see it together. Neo was great as ever, but it did drag some. Back to Bill�s house to relax a few minutes before Marty and Mary came to pick us up for the Chicago concert, at Oakdale. Bill took me on a brief tour of his garden and backyard area. The humidity was running right at 95% and we hadn�t been in the backyard for more than 15 minutes before I was feeling nauseated and lightheaded. I didn�t want to say anything to Bill because he would worry, but I needed to lie down for a few minutes. I wandered back in the house and went upstairs and plopped on the bed, closed my eyes and focused on clearing my head. Man this humidity would be hard for me to get used to. Bill came up to see what I was doing and get ready for the evening. He laughed at me for lying on the bed, so I moaned and rolled off and got ready to go. By the time Marty and Mary got there, I was feeling a bit better, but not 100%.
We were to meet a fella there who was going to get us a good parking place. Boy did he ever. If we were any closer to the door, we would have been inside. This was real cool. Front row parking, front row tickets and great company, couldn�t get much better. We eat dinner in the restaurant at Oakdale called The Bistro. Bill had Prime Rib, Marty Swordfish, Mary and I behaved and had Chicken Caesar Salad. We had plenty of time to kill, so we took our time and visited while we eat.
The concert was great. It was opened by a female duo from North Haven, Connecticut (Dawn Mastro & Denise Blake) called Sweeter than Wine. They were a real good, sort of mellow duo that played acoustic guitars and sang. At intermission Bill and I made our way out to find the restroom and bought a CD of theirs. Then Chicago came on. Wow what can I say, Chicago played their hearts out, sang all the big hits and made me realize how much I enjoyed them. I have been listening to so much country that I had forgotten how good they were. I was very impressed with Lee Laughlane and Walter Paradizer and their playing. We were right up front by the edge of the stage and could actually hear the music coming from their instruments instead of from the speakers. We got high-fives from both Lee and Walter. This was a real treat for Bill since this was his first time to have front row seats. Marty and Mary were equally as impressed and I was real glad Bill asked them to go with us. Besides getting to see Chicago, we had a chance to get better acquainted.
Sunday the 15th of June brings in a beautiful, clear-skied day. What a perfect day for a long bike ride. So after breakfast we showered and headed out. This was going to be so cool. All day with nothing to do, but enjoy each other and see the countryside. Bill took us through Middlefield and to the so-called ski resort of Powder Ridge. I laughed and laughed and laughed, �That is a ski area? So cute, so wonder you were impressed by Sun Valley�. Just kidding baby!!!! After leaving there, we rode past the house Marty was working on in Durham, wow to be rich. It was about 6000 sq ft, 3 story home sitting on 50 acres. A big shot woman from Home Depot and her husband own it. As we were riding along, I noticed all the flat-sided Colonial style homes in the area. Not really sure what people see in them, but they were everywhere. Let�s see where else did we go, we took the back road through Higganum, Haddam, Tylerville and Chester until we got to the Hadlyme Ferry that took us across the Connecticut River to Gillette Castle.
Gillette Castle was built in 1914 for William Hooker Gillette, a play-write and actor who played Sherlock Holmes. In the parking lot we were lucky to see 6 awesome looking Cobra�s out for a Sunday drive. Man to own just one of those would be too cool. We spent about 2 hours wandering around the castle and the grounds. While we were upstairs in the castle, the humidity really got to me. I stopped by the first open window and breathed in the outside air. Wow was I getting nauseated and light-headed. I finished walking through the rest of the upstairs in quiet, hoping it would pass. Once I got outside and could breathe in some outside air, I headed for the coolest place I could find, the forested pathway. I was overheated and needed to cool down before I got sick. We walked along the path for a bit and I called my dad and wished him a Happy Father�s Day. Chatted to him for a few minutes, telling him where we were and promising to bring home some brochures. After leaving the castle we headed for Old Lyme where we crossed back over the river into Old Saybrook. We found a small restaurant on the waterfront called Dock-and-Dine and had a bowl of Clam Chowder and a dinner salad for lunch. Old Saybrook is right at the mouth of the Connecticut River where it empties into Long Island Sound. It was real cool to be seeing places I had heard of on TV. Yes Bill, I said on TV. I don�t watch it much anymore but did at one time. After leaving there, we headed north along the west side of the Connecticut River until we got to Essex. Essex is a quaint little town with lots of cute shops. We�ll have to come back here when we have time to browse. While in town, a long string of Corvette�s were making their way through town on their Sunday outing. What was with the car groups around here anyway? Bill spied a lemonade stand manned by two kids and pulled over and stopped. We ordered two lemonades and stayed right there and drank them. Mmmmm..cool and refreshing. Bill thought it was real cool that I liked to stop at lemonade stands and I thought it was real cool to have found someone who would enjoy such little pleasures in life. As we get to know each other more and more, we are finding just how much we were made for each other. It still amazes me when I think about it.
Okay back on the bike and heading toward a couple of friends of Bill�s, George & Edie. We had just enough time to stop over so I could meet them and visit for a few minutes. We needed to be back home by 5:00 for dinner, which Sandy, Tara and Michelle were fixing. We got there at 5:10 and had put in a real nice day of riding, laughing and just plan ole getting to know each other more time with 100 miles added to the bike. It amazes me how much places a person can get to and still be under 100 miles. One hundred miles in Idaho might get you to the first thing worth seeing.
Sandy and the girls planned on a BBQ with burgers and hot dogs. They set up the patio table on the lawn under the shade of the trees and we gathered around to enjoy the food and the great company. Let�s see, there was Sandy & Tommy, Michelle & Mario, Bryana, Kayla, Danny & Tara their boys Danny, David and Dylan, Bill & I. Look at that Bill & I :o) I like the looks of that. Bill & I took Tommy�s 1964 Futura Convertible for a spin, taking Bryana and Kyla with us. The girls sure got a kick out of all the looks we were getting. After dinner, Bill took Michelle, Kayla and Tara for rides on the Harley. I guess they thought they had to wait until after I got the first ride. Don�t know why they thought that. Bill?
Monday morning we were up and ready for the new days adventures. Bill had signed us both up to work at the Connecticut Street Rod Association Car Show for the Wallingford Wishing Well. For those of you that do not know what the WWW is, it is a non-profit organization that was started in 1988 and who give there time and donate 100% of the proceeds to help needy children in the Wallingford community. They conduct several fundraisers throughout the year, including a game dinner every February. Well the WWW was cooking at the car show and we were going to help anyway we could. This was right up my alley. I had been a cook at a fast food restaurant for 5 years and was no stranger to flipping burgers. Bring them on.
We needed to find out what time we were going to get started setting up and cooking, so Bill and I jumped on the bike and rode over to the WWW headquarters. It was none other than Chick�s Used Auto Junkyard. Tony told us that they were getting stated at noon so we agreed to meet him back here then. We still needed to run by the library to get a free pass to The Mystic Seaport, we were going to the next day. After grabbing it and promising to have it back before closing on Thursday we took a ride up through Hubbard Park and to Castle Craig. Castle Craig is not really a castle, but a rock tower on top of the knoll. It has a spiral stairway to the top where you can look out over the countryside. Countryside my eye, you can see the whole state from there. Looking to the north and you can see Hartford, looking south and you can see the port at New Heaven. This cracked me up. The whole length of Connecticut is no longer than it is from Boise to Twin Falls. Which for those of you that do not know is only about 130 miles and fits in the southwestern part of Idaho. You know the people who live out there call it all New England. It�s no wonder they do. It takes all the New England states to make it big enough to fill one of the western states. So cute!!!!!
Back to Bill�s for a bite to eat, grab the truck, and head to the junkyard for the first load. We drove it over the PNA (Polish National Alliance) Park, where the car show was going to be held. I was a little nervous at first, not sure how I would fit in or what I would be doing. That lasted all of about 15 minutes. Once I discovered that the onions needed chopping and slicing and the celery cut into sticks, I was elbow deep in work. Then the chicken wings needed to be cut-up and the sausage cut into chucks, cans opened and food prepared. Coffee making was interesting. No one knew how many packs of coffee grounds to use for such a big pot, so I guessed and it seemed to work out okay. At least it got drank, I think.
Cars were being driven in, hauled in and drug in, filling the field with Chevy SS�s, Corvette�s, Pick-up�s, GTO�s, Charger�s, and even a Cobra. There were 490 cars at the car show this year. The local radio station had a raffle drawing with half the money going to the Wishing Well and the other half going to the winner. Tony, Paul, Bob, Kevin and others from the WWW went in together and won the other half. We worked hard and fast to fill all the orders as they we called to us. Bill and I took a break when his family got there and walked around to get a closer look at the cars. There was a couple of real nice looking �67 GTO�s I sure would like to take for a spin. Break over time to get back to work. I was positioned beside the burger and dog cooks and bunned up the meat when orders were called back. Orders were flying too. It was great fun working with this great bunch of people and I wished I could just stay here forever and be part of them WWW team.
After the crowd died down and the sun was setting, we decided enough was enough and started cleaning up. Packing everything back into the vehicles and doing up the dishes. What a team these people were. We had everything cleaned up and ready to go in no time. Now for a bit of scotch to finish off the evening. I drank a couple of doubles and was feeling the heat. Bill does not drink scotch so he passed it up. We said our good-byes and headed home, both feeling like we had put in a good days work. Back at Bill�s with the house to our selves. Hummmm�a nice shower and the enjoyment of each other and an example of what scotch does to me�enough of that talk, after all this is a G rated story. We fell sound asleep snuggled up to each other and sleep like logs.
Tuesday the 17th of June was the day we were going to Cape Cod. I have always wanted to go to Cape Cod, after reading about it in romance novels and seeing it on TV. And what better way to see it, but camping there with the one I love. We still needed to gather up the camping supplies and pack the truck, so we didn�t get too early of start. When I went to get my glasses I couldn�t find them anywhere. We searched the entire house and they were not to be found. We ran by the junkyard and the PNA Park to see if they were found from the night before. No such luck. Oh well, �What could you do�? I was not going to ruin a great trip just because I couldn�t see more than about 20 feet.
Our first stop was going to be the Mystic Seaport, so we took Route 66 east to Route 9 south, then Hwy 95 east toward Province. Lovely stuck in traffic again. We past the time by snacking on pepperoni sticks, cheese curds and fruit-n-nut trail mix. Once the traffic started moving again, we were more than ready to get going. We continued across I95 until we reached Mystic and found the Seaport. We had travel almost halfway across the state of Connecticut and even with the traffic back up, it still only took us an hour. How funny.
I was not sure what to expect at the Seaport and was surprised that it was an old whale ship port and had all the original buildings of shops, stores and factories if you will, from the days of whale ship building. We visited the building where they built the ships, the place where they made rope, the blacksmith shop, and the barrel making shop and wandered onboard the Charles W. Morgan whaling ship. The Charles W. Morgan is what is known as a 3-mask bark whaling ship and can carry 5 small whaling boats. We watched demonstrations of the stowing of the big sails, listened to the tales of whaling excursions and pirate lore. Wandered through the museum and sipped fresh lemonade. I picked up an ornament for Linda�s annual ornament exchange party and Bill picked up some rope key ring kits. We left Mystic at 5:00 to continue our journey to Cape Cod taking I95 into Rhode Island. Turning east on Route 138 and taking the Jamestown and Newport Bridges across the Narragansett Bay. Wow what a sailor�s paradise that was. Guess what we found in Newport, nope not a Harley shop, something better, a Starbucks and the first real cup of espresso mocha I was able to find since coming here. Sipping on our mocha�s, we drove past a �la-de-da� Polo field. Continuing on our trip trying to find Route 24 north, Bill made an interesting U-turn in Fall River. Hehehehe, he forgot to actually reverse the direction he was going and started to go the same way again, attempted it one more time and got it right this time. Sorry baby, I just had to tell. It was so very funny. With the help of his trusty navigator, who has never been in the east before mind you, he finally found his way again and onto I195 and into Massachusetts. Hitting Route 25 and over the Bourne Bridge and onto Cape Cod WOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO. We made our way down Route 6 all the way to North Truro and found the North of Highland Campground just after 8:00 pm and set up camp with the lights of the truck to see by. Wonder where the flashlight is?
Wednesday morning up with the birds and hot coffee brewing. Thank you baby :o). Cleaned up camp and headed for the showers down the trail. I grabbed my cloths and boots and could almost feel the shower..hummmm it was going to feel so good. You will never guess what I found in my boots. MY GLASSES!!!!! I remember now putting them in there so they didn�t get stepped on Monday night after we got home from PNA Park. I put them on and climbed in the truck with Bill. It didn�t dawn on him for a few minutes what was different. I will probably never live that one down. How embarrassing.
We drove the rest of the way to Provincetown and found a great parking place by the pier. Grabbed out jackets and camera and headed for the office of the Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch boat. We booked a spot for the 10:00 am voyage and then went across the street for a cup of espresso want-a-be. Looked around a bit and headed down the pier to the boat. This was going to be great. A real whale watching trip and a dream come true. Baby have I told you how wonderful you are? Once on the boat, we opted to spend the trip on the upper deck at the bow of the boat. It was an overcast day and was raining off and on, but we didn�t care, we were going to enjoy this trip no matter what. The boat set out around Long Point Light House and past Wood End Light House, were Bill snapped a few picture�s for Bob, then out into open waters. As the boat picked up speed, the wind started to get pretty cold. We just had on lightweight jackets and were getting pretty soaked, even though we were under an overhang. I pulled my hood of my sweatshirt and cinched it closed as tight as I could around my face. Bill thought this was pretty funny and kept laughing at me. He should have looked in a mirror, he sorta resembled a drown rat. At least I was smart enough to wear something with a hood. Once out in open waters we all watched with hopeful eyes. Hoping to catch a mere glimpse of a real whale. I really didn�t expect to see one and was so excited when we did. In fact we were lucky enough to see 3 Minke Whales, 1 Finback and a Basking Shark. About halfway into the trip, we needed to warm up a bit, so we made our way down the steps and into the lower interior area where a cup of hot coffee awaited us. Once back on top we were allowed to stand out on the bow of the boat and feel the salty air blow in our faces. I wonder what Bill thought of me, standing out there with my hood all cinched tight, yet refusing to stay inside where it was dry. After all I was here to see whales, not sit in the comforts of the warm, cozy enclosed area. That was for the wimps and babies. The trip lasted about 2 � hours and we were ready to get back. Once back we headed for the Lobster Pot and a hot bowl of clam chowder soup and a sandwich. We split an interesting veggie sandwich with portabella mushrooms and eggplant, and some sort of cheese, I think, not for sure, just knows it was strange.
We decided we had just enough energy to challenge the Pilgrim Monument. The Pilgrim Monument sits on top of hill and was built in 1907 to commemorate first landing of the Mayflower Pilgrims. The tower stands 252 feet 7.5 inches and has 116 steps and 60 ramps, which take you to the top. We made our way to the top in somewhat short order, so we stopped a few times, big deal. We didn�t have to; we were reading the signs on the walls. Right baby! There was a beautiful view of the town and the ocean and Bill got a few real great pictures before heading back down. We wandered through the Provincetown Museum and then headed back down the hill and in and out of the shops. Talk about some well-built man flesh, but what a waste. I guess there was some wasted woman flesh too, and one was looking at me, yikes. The crowd started to thicken and we were getting tired, so with the mere suggestion of going back to camp and taking a nap, we climbed in the truck and set out. It didn�t take but a few minutes before we were both fast asleep. It must have been all the salty air, because I slept like a log. In fact we both slept for 2 � hours before waking. It was 8:30 when we woke and the restaurant we wanted to go to closed at 9:00. Talk about some fast moving. We were hungry and sure didn�t want to miss out on dinner. We high-tailed it to toward Wellfleet and found the Moby Dick Restaurant. It was a different sort of place, where you ordered your individual items and paid for them at the counter, then they brought it out to the table for you. I ordered Salmon Steak with a salad and Bill ordered deep-fried oysters with fries and we shared a batter-fried onion. When our meals arrived I was served a wonderful looking Swordfish Steak�hummmm not what I ordered, but it did look good, so I told the waitress that I would just have this instead. She wanted to make sure I was pleased and brought me a gift card for a free Salmon dinner on my next visit. I told her that I lived in Idaho and would probably never make it back, but would take a piece of Key Lime Pie for desert instead. She was more than happy to bring that, plus gave me the card too. So if we ever make it back to Cape Cod, we have a dinner coming. We finished up our meal and shared the pie, then headed back to camp. Both of us were well rested so we enjoyed each other�s company before dosing off.
Thursday the 19th of June came at the early hour of 6:00 am. Way too early to do anything, but drink coffee and eat breakfast. We were heading back toward Bill�s today and wanted to get a halfway early start, but needed to wait until the showers opened at 8:00. There was the Highland Light House we hadn�t seen and we wanted to walk along the beach, so we jumped in the truck and headed out without showers. Stinky babies. We parked and walked down the short road to get a better shot of Highland Light. It was a well-kept lighthouse and was worth the trip. Now for the beach. Coast Guard Beach was close by so we choose it. Once there we took off our sandals and headed for the surf to look for shells and dip our toes in the cold water. After strolling a bit, I was feeling the need to just sit and watch the waves for a while, so we stopped and flopped down on the sand and watched the water for a bit. Tackling Bill, we ended up in each other�s arms and enjoyed the taste of salty kisses and the warmth of each other�s arms. This was wonderful, until the ranger drove up the beach and right past us. Grinning sheepishly, we decided we had enjoyed each other enough and made our way back up the beach toward the truck. Bill had left his camera there and we still wanted to get some pictures of the Atlantic Ocean. It was a very quiet morning with only a few surf fishers about and we had enjoyed our time there very much. But it was getting late and we had lots to do yet. We brushed off the sand and climbed back in the truck and headed back to camp to finish taking down the tent, load our things and hit the showers.
It was around 10:00 am by now and we were still planning on going to the Mystic Aquarium that day, so we had better get started. We drove up the length of Cape Cod and with a brief detour to the small town of Pocasset and Bill�s beloved Harley Shop. We couldn�t forget to get his HD shirt you know. Once this mandatory task was complete, we were off to the town of Mystic, Connecticut and to the Aquarium. It was right before 2:30 when we arrived there. There was a huge crowd of kids standing out front with their chaperones. Oh no! All right! They we leaving not coming whew. We were just in time to see the last sea lion show so we headed straight there. Waited in line for the doors to open and found a good seat. The sea lions show was somewhat disappointing, but was good for the kids. It did teach them a little about the sea lions, but they didn�t perform many tricks. Oh well. We walked around the rest of the aquarium and saw the Beluga Whales, the fur seals, sea lions, sea otters and penguins. Walked through the PT-109 exhibit and that was just about all there was to see. Time to hit the road and find some dinner anyway. We found a Chili�s Restaurant and enjoyed the quiet atmosphere with a huge birthday party going on arghhh. The party broke up and we were left to enjoy the rest of our meal in peace. Okay enough sitting around; we still had to drive home, so back in the truck with us and off we go for the last leg of this trip. For today anyway. Honey we�re home!!!!! WOOOOO HOOOOOO, nothing like going on a trip, but coming home is usually the best part.
Friday morning is here and we are going to head up to Mt. Greylock, which sits in the northwestern area of Massachusetts. Let�s see how did we go. Was it Route 91 to 691 to 84 to 8 to 20 to 7 to 2 to 22 to 90? Wow look at all those routes. Thank goodness for maps. On the Connecticut/Massachusetts border we stopped off at Colebrook River Reservoir and snapped a few pictures. Bill says that a person can by a fishing license and fish in both Mass and CT on this lake. I guess that makes it easier than having to monitor whether you have floated across the border. You know I am still amazed at all the trees here. There are Maple, Birch, Mountain Ash, Sumac, White Pine and White Oak with other�s mixed in I am sure. It was all so beautiful and full of life. Idaho has its wildlife too, but for the most part is dry and deserted. I could get used to it real easy. Hummmmm this has me thinking. Oh no that can be dangerous. Bill has been planning on moving to Idaho with me along, but is that the right thing to do? I was not so sure anymore. How could I take him away from all that he loves, to a place I don�t really like? I will have to do some thinking on that one. As we were driving through the Berkshires Range and in and out of the towns along the way, I was amazed at the dates most of the towns were founded in, like Otis in 1810, Brocket in 1765, Lee in 1777, Lenox in 1767. There were big beautiful stone churches with fantastic stain glass windows adorning them. I would love to come back and wander through some of them.
While in Otis, Bill took me by a hummmmm ski resort by the name of Otis Ridge, hehehehe sooooooo cute! Oh and out east they have funny names for the liquor stores. They call them Package Stores, what is with that? Do they think they are going to fool someone with that name? Too funny. And there are �Rotary�s� in the center of some of the towns. What is a Rotary you ask? So did I. It is an island in a busy intersection where the roads come together and you can drive around and around and turn on the road you want. I guess if you don�t know where you really want to go, you can just drive around all day. Interesting concept. We drove around a �Rotary� and headed the other way looking for a, yep you guessed it, a Harley Shop in Pittsfield, Mass. We found it and were treated by the site a few nice bikes, some guys on some sort of road tour were driving. That sure looked like fun. We will have to hook up with some riding friends someday and take a trip somewhere baby. Bill got his shirt and we were back on the road, stopping off at a little grocery store to pick up some lunchmeat and cheese before heading for Lanesborough. Lanesborough was where Bill�s mom was raised and where Bill has some very fond memories from his childhood. We drove by the St Luke�s Church where his parents we married. It is a cute old stone church built in 1836 and was the home of a parish that was founded in 1767. I sure like old churches; they have such a magically power to them, almost feel alive with all that have worshipped there.
We wound our way up to Mt Greylock State Reservation and stopped off at the visitor�s center before making our way to the first stop. Which was Jones Nose. If you use your imagination you can almost pick it out too. We got out and walked up the trail apiece. Bill showed me where his family would come to pick blueberries. This whole area has so many memories of Bill�s childhood with his parents. It was quite an emotional trip for him, bringing back lots of memories. We then drove up to Stony Ledge, wow what a breathtaking site the ledge provided us. Bill told me about scattering his uncle�s ashes there. We dug out our lunch and picnicked on roast beef, turkey and cheese layered on rye bread. Devoured a bag of Salt and Vinegar chips and shared a sweet orange. Bill snapped a few pictures and then we climbed in the truck and headed to the top of Mt Greylock, an incredible height of 3491 ft above sea level. Hummmm the town of Twin Falls, Idaho where I lived for 10 years sits at 3704 ft and is considered a desert. Okay a high mountain desert, but desert nonetheless. This is sure a huge contrast from the west coast. We wandered through the Bascom Lodge and Bill bought me a sweatshirt and I some refrigerator magnets. We were hoping to climb to the top of the War Memorial tower, but it was closed for maintenance today, so we didn�t get to. We�ll just have to come back another time.
Leaving Mt. Greylock and heading north on Route 7, Bill surprises me with a quick trip into Vermont. WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO. I got to travel 7 whole miles into the state of Vermont to the town of Pownal, just far enough to count. Another state added to my list of states I have been in. Thank you baby. Leaving Pownal heading back into Massachusetts and cutting over to Williamstown, then west on Route 2 into Upper State New York. WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO, another state. I am really really in the state of New York. I can�t believe it. Who would have thought that me, Kathy would be driving around the eastern states? I must be dreaming. We traveled south on Route 22, through the town of Berlin and New Lebanon. Continuing south until we reached the Mass Turnpike (I90). Jumping on the Turnpike and heading east back into Massachusetts and our next stop. Which was to be Stockbridge. For those of you that where born in a padded room and not allowed out. Stockbridge, Massachusetts was the home of Alice�s Restaurant. WHAT! you have never heard of Alice�s Restaurant!!! It is none other then the famous restaurant of Arlo Guthrie�s famous song. Bill and I asked around and found what once was Alice�s Restaurant and have picture�s to prove it. Now to find the elusive church where Alice lived. We drove up and down the road and read all the signs and finally stopped and asked for directions, to be told that it was not even in the same town as the restaurant, but several miles down the road in Housatonic Village of the town of Great Barrington. Why we should have known that. Oh brother, they didn�t mention that in the song. It was getting dusk and we really wanted to see it before dark, so we could get some pictures, so we hurried on our way. THEN THERE IT WAS!!!! Right before our eyes and yes right across the road from the railroad tracks. I can�t believe it. The Church. Wow. The front door to the church was open so we walked up to it and stuck our heads in. A lady was there and even though it was technically after business hours, was happy to let us in. We talked to her for several minutes and she told us to feel free to wander around and take whatever pictures we wanted. I found what I was looking for, a shop that sold t-shirts and such. They didn�t have too many to choose from, but I really wanted to bring back a shirt for my dad. He likes the song and would get a kick out of it. I was able to find 2 t-shirts and 1 sweatshirt. Gave one shirt to Bill, took one home to my dad and kept the sweatshirt for me. This was real cool and what a way to round up a perfect trip. Once we had our fill of the church we headed home. It was going to be after 8:00 pm before we got home and we were getting tired and ready to call it quits for the day.
Back at Bill�s, we showered and climbed into bed. I needed to talk, so after sharing some tender moments we talked, cried and talked some more. I had something really eating at me and needed to get it worked out. Watching Bill all week in his home environment made me realize how important Connecticut was to him. Not just Connecticut I guess, but all of New England. I used to think that it was funny how people from this area claimed all of New England as home. I can see why now. The states are small enough that one can travel through most of them in a short time. It�s like one big state. I had just spent the last 9 days with Bill and his family and friends and found that there was so much love flowing through them all that without really knowing it until then, I had come to the realization that even though Bill swore he was willing to move to Idaho, I couldn�t allow it. Taking Bill out of all this love would be taking a huge part away from him. The way he looked at the boys with such loving admiration, the way he joked with the girls and teased his sisters was just more then I could destroy. Bill loved his home and I just had to tell him that I was not going to let him move to Idaho. Oh my god, the pain that tore across his face just about killed me. How was I going to resolve this hurt, this pain that I was causing in an attempt to prevent destroying him by taking him away. Could I give up my family and home to move here? I wanted to say yes, but was having a real hard time committing to doing it. I needed to get away and think, but yet didn�t want to leave his side. I hurt him and wanted to heal the pain, but how. I needed to make a decision and tell Bill I would move here, but was so afraid to do so. What did I need to make that decision? I guess I needed to know that Bill was completely committed to our future together. Many tears were falling as we talked and I asked Bill to make a commitment to me. Yes I wanted to know if he loved me enough to marry me, to make a real commitment to me, to us, to our future together. We had talked about it some and said we wanted to grow old together and how right we were for each other, but to make a commitment of marriage was one I knew Bill nor I would make lightly. I didn�t have a solid answer for him, but still needed to hear the question, and he asked and I cried. Oh no, I had made him do something that I didn�t want to do. If he wanted to ask me to marry him then he would, I was not going to pressure him into asking. That was wrong and I knew it, but I was scared and could not leave in two days without knowing what our future would bring. He assured me that he wanted to ask me anyway, but was going to wait until he could do it properly, with a ring to offer and on bended knee. How sweet a man he is. All I could do was look at him and try to read in him the truth. What I saw there was a scared man. Scared he was losing me. I wrapped my arms around him and held on for all I was worth. I had so many thoughts running through my head, but knew then and there that I could not lose this man. So I told him yes, that I would marry him, someday. I didn�t know when or where, but that we would not lose each other. I don�t think that either one of us was really convinced but needed time to make a sound decision and let time resolve our future for us. I tried to joke it off, by telling him that just because he asked me now, he was not going to get off that easy and would have to do it again the proper way. I need to hear him ask me without the pressure I was putting on him and I would certainly not hold him to it anyway. When I saw the pain in his eyes, I knew how much he loved me and from my reaction to his pain, I knew how much I loved him. Just the brief thought of calling it quits was more then we could bear and we were not going to allow it to happen. We finally feel asleep, but I don�t think either one of us got much rest that night.
Bill had to work the Saturday night, so we got up early, shared coffee and decided to go to Dad�s for breakfast. We took the bike because I think we both needed to feel the closeness riding on the bike together would bring. Besides it was a beautiful morning and the last chance I would have to ride with him before going home. We didn�t talk too much about last night, for what could be said. We both needed to think and needed to be away from each other to do it. I was leaving the next morning and wanted to be held until I had to leave. I knew this was not possible and was probably a silly scared girly thing anyway. I had wanted to go to the top of Castle Craig one more time, this time with a camera so we could try to capture the whole height of Connecticut in two shots. This was still very amazing to me and wanted to show it to my dad. He would sure get a kick out of it. I was pretty quiet all morning and was feeling sort of ill, partly from the humidity and partly from nerves, but tried to enjoy our time together anyway. It didn�t work; I was feeling pretty scared and wanted to cry. We walked back down the stairs of the castle and climbed back on the bike and headed home. We had to try to get as much sleep as possible because Bill was due at work at 6:00 pm and was working until 6:00 am and I was going in with him. I finished packing my things and had it ready to load in his truck, when we got up. Sleep was the last thing I could convince myself into doing. I didn�t want to disturb Bill, but didn�t want to leave his side either, so I just lied there and dozed off and on all afternoon.
We finally got up and showered and got ready. I was going out to dinner with Sandy, Tara and Michelle, before being dropped off at Bill�s work that night. We were going to grab breakfast and head straight to the airport from there, so I loaded my luggage in his truck and he went to work. Sandy and I drove over to pick up Tara and join Michelle at Chili�s for dinner. Michelle had ordered appetizers and had them waiting for us. Thank you Michelle. Once we ordered our drinks and snacked a bit, the questions started to come. Tara had held back as long as she could, but they were all dying to learn more about me. So as questions were asked and answered and clarifications were made, we laughed and teased the time away. Eat our dinner and learning more and more about each other, liking each other more as the time flew by. Before we knew it, it was late and Michelle had to work in the morning. So we decided it was time to leave. Sandy would take Tara home and Michelle would take me to Bill�s work. After a �how do I get there� call was made to Bill we were on our way.
Bill was waiting for me at the door with a big hug. I could tell that he was feeling as scared as I was, but was afraid to ask what our future would bring. We tried to joke with each other as much as we could, but it didn�t really work very well. Bill gave me a nice tour of the plant, explaining everything to me. Wow very impressive huge V-8 engine recips taking up a huge building and the two very impressive turbines. It was pouring down rain and the humidity was balancing around 98% and I was getting sicker and sicker as the night waned on and the time for me to leave was getting closer and closer. We both dozed off and on and fought the need to recap last night�s talk, but it didn�t work. We needed to talk about it and I asked Bill to please help me get through this and to not let me give up on us, to come out and kick my butt if I ever tried to give up. He vowed that he would try to be the rock in our relationship and we held each other so tight. Bill went about his work and I dozed off for a while.
When his relief came the next morning, I am sure I looked like hell. I know I felt like hell and was ready to vomit. Bill took me to one of his favorite diner�s O�Rourke�s. It was a silver colored metal-sided place and could use a good scrubbing. The menu offered an interesting selection of gourmet breakfast items. I should have just ordered toast, but didn�t. Instead I had an omelet with tomatoes, guacamole, onions and roasted peppers. The best part of the whole meal was the free samples of poppy seed bread they brought to the table. I knew I should have stopped while I was holding it down, but knew I had a long flight ahead of me and needed to eat. The more I tried to eat the sicker I got, until I gave up trying and pushed the plate away. I just wanted to cry, but somehow held it together until after we got to the airport and Bill walked away. My flight was scheduled for nine something and it was right at 7:15 am. I was going to have a 4-hour layover in St Paul and was not looking forward to this trip. When we got to the counter, the assistant asked me if I wanted to change flights and go a more direct route, getting me in 6 hours earlier. What a stupid question, of course I did, so he changed my flight and told me I had about 30 minutes to flight time. WOW!!! That didn�t leave us much time to say good-bye. I think it was a blessing in disguise. All I had time to do was get through the security checkpoint and find my gate. I was getting sicker and needed to get away before I lost it, so I just walked away leaving Bill standing outside the security area. I glanced over at him for just a moment, mouthed, �I love you� and turned away. He knew I was really struggling and turned and left. As soon as I got through the checkpoint and found my gate, I also found the restroom. I had held on long enough and vomited my guts out, then cried. I called Bill on his cell and apologized for not handling leaving very well, blaming it on the humidity. It may have been partly that, but I think it was mostly the fear of never seeing him again. Could we really hold it together? Could I really make the move? I didn�t want to think about it, so I slept the whole flight, waking just long enough to change planes and fall asleep again. Time and God will provide the answer for us and we had no right making it ourselves.
Six and a half more weeks and we will see each other again, my love. Until then it is back on the phone and quick games on the Internet.
