Last Thursday (October 19), we left Middleton, Wisconsin for Ohio. Our first stop along the way was at Lakeside Chatauqua to catch up with my niece, Megan, and family. They were there for a wedding and we spent Friday visiting and walking around the quaint community on the shores of Lake Erie. Lakeside is a 150 year old community offering spiritual opportunities, educational lectures, cultural performances, and recreational activities. We enjoyed learning about Lakeside and we always love spending time with Megan's two girls, Rori (5 years old) and Maggie (almost two).
Friday evening, we continued on to Tallmadge (Akron) and the Saturday wedding of our niece, Annie and her now husband, Max. It was a fun day of visiting with family and a beautiful wedding ceremony. The 35 minute drive from Tallmadge to the reception venue took us through the peak fall colors of northeast Ohio and this year they were really spectacular.
Sunday, we got in a hike at the Gorge Metro Park on the High Bridge Trail to the Signal with our sister-in-law, Kathy and nephew, Ray. It was a beautiful trail along the river which took us to a large signal tree. This old burr oak tree's unique three-pronged shape made it a guide when indigenous people navigated the nearby river. No one is sure if the tree was shaped by people as a navigational tool or not.
On Tuesday, we started on our New England state trip with a first day drive to Beacon, New York on the Hudson River. We arrived around 4:30 pm to our Bed and Breakfast just off the main street in Beacon. We dropped our bags and headed down to the river and walked through two riverfront parks. Long Dock Park is part of an environmental reclamation of industrial land for recreation and educational purposes. Adjacent to Long Dock Park is Pete and Toshi Seeger Park. Pete Seeger was an folk singer and his wife, Toshi, was filmmaker and producer. They were both environmental activists and they made their home in Beacon, New York. They worked to clean up the Hudson River and founded the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater program to educate the public.
Today, after a breakfast of pancakes at the Bed and Breakfast, we drove the 6 1/2 hours to Bangor for our next house sitting destination in Bangor, Maine. Our first stop after leaving, Beacon was the welcome center in Connecticut. A goal for this trip is to visit some states that I have not yet been to (Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont). We plan to stop in Vermont and New Hampshire on the way home.
We also stopped in Portland, Maine on the way to Bangor to meet Larry, Toto, and Lulubelle. After, our house sit in Bangor, we will be back in Portland to watch two dogs (Toto and Lulubelle). We got into Bangor at 4:30 pm. We are sitting for a 16 year old cat named Fido.
We did not get to meet our hosts, as they left before we arrived, but we feel they must be similar as there are solar panels on the roof, a Chevy volt in the driveway, a compost bin in the backyard, and artwork and knick-knacks from around the world throughout the house.
We had time to take a quick walk to the downtown Bangor (around 2 miles there and back). We are on the eastern side of the time zone, so it did get dark quite early. We are looking forward to our stay in Bangor and exploring the area and Acadia National Park (which is about an hour away).
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