6-16-17

HOME AT LAST

HOME AT LAST

GREAT GOD

I'M HOME AT LAST!!!

ORIGINAL QUOTATION

BY

MARTIN LUTHER TOZZI

 

But first, my last stop..............

Arrived at the Brusman ranch around noon on the 15th.  Budda thought "Bitchin Betty" would give me false information on finding Fords Colony so he gave me some different directions and told me not to pay attention to Betty when she told me to turn.  I followed his directions and went by the correct entrance.  Betty laughed and called me a dummy and told me never to pay attention to a human and override her directions.  Fully chastised, I turned around and meekly followed her directions back to Budda's home.  After a beer and some conversation Diane made some sandwiches and we chatted for awhile and then a one hour nap took us right to cocktail time.  Diane made a wonderful dinner and Budda provided copious amounts of Cabernet and all was good.  Sleep came easily and morning to quickly. 

Diane was playing golf with the ladies so Budda took me on a tour of parts of Williamsburg.  A real highlight for me was to watch a demonstration of old time glass blowing where you could talk to the artisans as they performed their work.  It was a great two days reconnecting with the Brusman's.  Friday morning I had planned to cross the James River and ride back roads to Wilson NC but weather reports were calling for rain and I just wasn't ready for another rain ride.  We said our goodbyes and I was on the road to the James River Free Ferry which runs every 30 minutes.  I lucked out and got to the ferry about 0815 so only had a short time to wait and then about a 20 minute crossing.  On the other side I directed "Bitchin Betty" to go directly to I-95 S.  Once I go on the interstate I had about 120 miles to go so I set the cruise control at 75 and away we went.  I arrived back in Wilson around 1050 and stopped by the club to say hello to my golfing buddies who were just about to tee off on # 1 at our normal 1100 tee time.  I got to the house and my daughter and granddaughter came over with balloons to welcome me back.  I unpacked the trailer and motorcycle and crashed.

I would just take a moment to thank all who put up with me for a day or two.  It was great seeing y'all and reconnecting after so many years.  I hope we all are able to get together again in the future. 

June 12, 2017...Coffee and donuts at Shindogs and then it's time to leave because I have a hard 10:00 time on the Cape May Ferry.  Took some pictures but didn't want to leave.  Hugged Mimi, John's sister.  She is a magnificent woman and takes great care of her brother John.
The ride to Cape May was pleasant but then it started to get hot and they kept us sitting outside for a long time.  The ride over to Lewes Delaware was nice but once off the ferry it was really hot with a lot of traffic.  Arrived at The Charlotte Hotel B&B around 1600 and after a cocktail was directed to The Mallard for dinner.  It is also where you meet up with your boat driver for the trip to Tangier Island.  The Mallard served up a delicious seafood dinner and then it was a walk back to the Charlotte Hotel, a little TV and early to bed.
June 13, 2017...The Charlotte served up a gourmet breakfast and an interesting chat with the owner on the history of Onancock.  At 0900 I was off to catch the boat to Tangier.  I was the first to arrive at slip #10 and Capt. Mark Crockett was already there with the Joyce Marie II, a 36 foot long Chesapeake Bay Deadrise Fiberglass fishing boat that can carry 25 passengers.

The first thing I noticed was that Capt. Crockett is one tall drink of water but a great guy.  He always has a smile and a good word for everyone.  We sat and talked while waiting for the passengers to arrive and we seemed to share the same politics.  Folks started arriving and then two ladies showed up and didn't have reservations and Capt. Crockett had to tell them he didn't have room for them.  As they were leaving he had two cancellations and called them back.  They were very happy.  As he collected their money he asked if they were coming back the same day or staying overnight.  When they told him they were staying overnight he asked where and they gave him the name of a place.  He said there was no such place on Tangier Island but they were sure there was because they had reservations.  Now, Capt. Crockett was born and raised on Tangier Island and there is only 727 inhabitants on the island but he said no more, got everyone loaded aboard and off we launched for the hour ride to Tangier Island.  As we got off the boat Capt. Crockett said the boat leaves for the mainland at 3:30 sharp.  As you come off the dock the first thing you notice is the friendliness of the islanders.  Most everyone gets around on golf carts, scooters or bikes.  Every time you pass an Islander they smile and wave.  The main streets are narrow, a little wider than two golf carts and the other paths are even smaller.  I stopped at the four brothers and rented a golf cart for the day and proceeded to make my way around the island.  As you can see below, this is one of the main streets.




The homes appear to be narrow and tall.  Occasionally some run into trouble.

There is a beautiful church on the island which I visited and said a prayer for my good buddy John "Shindog" Shinnick who is having some serious medical issues.  I also included in my prayers a three year old boy who is the grandson of my good buddy, Marshall Dildy. 

 I had a great lunch at Lorraine's and then drove my cart over to Spanky's for some really great ice cream.  After that I continued to drive around the island taking in the sights.  Shortly before 2:00 the sirens at the Volunteer Fire Department went off and the ambulance drove off and stopped just before the church above.  On the left side of the street there is a medical center and apparently a boy or young man had been injured and they were preparing to medivac him to a hospital on the mainland.  The chief of police was standing out by the ambulance and showed me a detour to get around the ambulance.  We chatted for a few moments and I was off again.  Now it was getting to 2:45 and the Capt. had told us be there by 3:30 or be prepared to stay the night on Tangier Island so I turned in my golf cart and headed for the dock.  Shortly after arrival at the dock the two women who were supposed to be staying overnight at a B&B showed up at the boat.  The reservations they supposedly had were not for Tangier Island but some other totally different place.  We all had a chuckle about that.  And then along came the Joyce Marie II to take us back to the mainland.

After we loaded everyone aboard I joined the Capt. in his cockpit and off we went.  I had lots of questions which he happily answered.  I was actually saddened somewhat by my visit to the island.  The islanders have a beautiful life style but sadly, it is slowly slipping away from them.  The younger generation is leaving the island and 30 years from now there may not be a Tangier Island.  It will be a sad day but I fear it is coming and it doesn't appear there is anything to stop it.  It was a great return trip and I thoroughly enjoyed spending the time with Capt. Crockett.  I got off the boat and one of the folks kindly gave me a ride up to the Charlotte Hotel.  I had a great dinner in the B&B restaurant and then headed for the rack and a good night's sleep.

6-14-17...Woke up this morning and packed up and started carrying all my gear down to the motorcycle.  First thing I noticed, some dirtbag had run into the back of my trailer and left a good ding and didn't have the intestinal fortitude to leave a note or some other notification that he had damaged the trailer.

I had a great breakfast at the Charlotte, checked out and drove down to the docks to say goodbye to Capt. Crockett.  He came off his boat and we talked for a few minutes.  I really felt like I had made a new friend and he was a special friend who, based on his upbringing had a somewhat different slant on life but at the same time we agreed on what makes a man a man.

Capt. Crockett, thanks for the time we spent together and I hope sometime to be able to return and visit with you.

From the docks I headed for Route 13 and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel.  It was a very pleasant ride, especially across the bridge's.  There was a nice, cool breeze but no heavy winds.  I arrived at my college buddy's home around noon.  Pete and Diane had a nice lunch ready for me and we sat and chatted for an hour and they I took a one hour power nap which didn't add any power but sure made me feel better.  Worked on the blog for awhile and then we had cocktails and sat out a thunderstorm and Peter cooked a pork tenderloin while Diane prepared potato salad, slaw and fresh tomatoes with mozzarella cheese and herbs.  Dinner was delicious with fresh fruit and ice cream for dessert.  Following more conversation, I'm blogged out and ready to retire for the evening.

Hope all had a good day and Cleary, watch out.  We're coming for you.  Good night all.  

6-11-17....I arrived at John "Shindog" Shinnick's, my good Marine Corps buddy's house in Barnegat Bay NJ on Friday the ninth.  John is going through some serious medical problems and it is very debilitating but he attacks with vigor and his spirits are high.  I was supposed to stay Friday and Saturday but when I saw him it was obvious we wanted more time together so I extended all my reservations for an additional day.  John's sister Mimi is an angel.  She comes over every day and cooks and does everything around the house.  Friday night John took us to a fish house that was absolutely fantastic.  After some clams as an appetizer Mimi had lobster while John and I had a Monk fish Francaise that was absolutely wonderful.  Saturday afternoon we traveled to John's sister-in-law and her husband Jim O'Brien who live right on the ocean.  We had cocktails and great conversation and Jim grilled some great salmon.  By the time we got home, everyone was shot so we said our good nights and crashed.  Sunday  morning John made French toast.  I went to work cleaning up the bike while he went to church.  In the afternoon John, Mimi and I traveled to Greg Shinnick's house.  Greg is John's son, a Naval Academy Grad and now has his own financial management business.  A good number of family members were there and Greg was cooking baby back ribs on the Green Egg.  It was a very nice afternoon and soon Shindog started to feel it so we took some pictures and then headed for the ranch.

Shindog & The Dancin Bear

Shindog, Toz & Jimmie Shinnick, John's grandson and a 2nd Lt. in the Army

Greg, Shindog's son and a Naval Academy graduate, Shindog, toz and 2ndLt. Jimmie Shinnick

So, it's now close to 10 PM.  I have a long day tomorrow including a trip of 85 minutes on the Cape May Ferry.
Hope everyone had a good weekend and we'll see you around the block.

6-9-17...Today was one of those heaven or hell days.  I got a call about 8:00 AM from Brad Hvolbeck, another Nichols college buddy.  We played football and lacrosse together and also went on the first Nichols College summer European studies tour together.  Anyway we set up a meet in Greenwich for 10:00 AM at the Delamar Hotel restaurant.  It's funny, when you haven't seen your friends for a long time you expect them to show up looking just the way they did so I was expecting to see Brad in his burgundy MGA that very rarely ran without a lot of help and wearing his Catholic Charities overcoat.  So he shows up in his Mercedes, impeccably dressed but he was quick to let me know that his dress and demeanor was not for me.  Later in the day he had an appointment with a Chinese gentleman to sell him a multi-million dollar home.  As soon as we sat down for some coffee he became the same good natured, fun and friendly Brad Hvolbeck that I knew in Conant Hall.  I was expecting that he might have some very smelly cheese that he might attempt to secrete in the radiator of my motorcycle as someone did during my absence from Conant for a holiday many years previously.  We had a great time reminiscing and I got him to promise to attend our 55th reunion.  Brad walked out to check out my bike and we took some pictures.

All to soon it was time for me to hit the road for my next stop which is Barnegat Bay NJ and an old flying buddy, John "SHINDOG" Shinnick.  John and I are not only Marine brothers, we are brother brothers.  We started out in the Marine Corps together and over the years were stationed together.  Our kids knew each other and we are just very close.  But I digress, first I had to get there and it was the ride from hell.  You've all read about my experiences in the rain but today beats all.  I rode from Fairfield to Greenwich CT at 9:00.  Traffic was a little heavy but no problem.  I left Greenwich and traffic was light but then five miles from the George Washington Bridge traffic ground to a halt and it was 1hr, & 45 min to cross the bridge.  Shortly after the bridge there was another 30 minute jam.  Then when I got to the Garden State Parkway there was an accident and we were in bumper-to-bumper for another 45 minutes.
I am adding NJ to the list of states I will never again visit.  Not only the traffic but every toll booth they charge me triple what a car pays.  I've asked numerous times because with the trailer, my bike is not as big as a car but they say they count axels.  The NJ roads are in such bad shape the state ought to be paying you to ride on their roads.  I am sending the NJ Dept. of Transportation my next chiropractic bill.
Good night Gov. Christy.  May your fat body jiggle to little pieces that get expelled from you Governor's limo and fill some of the potholes on your less than adequate roads.
Good night to y'all.

6-8-17...Golly Gee, who'd a thunk there could be two days of sunshine in New England in one week.  I am never going back to NH, VT, or ME.  They have nothing but rain.  As soon as you cross the border into Massachusetts, somebody up there turns off the faucet  But, I leap forward too quickly, Bruce and Carol are the penultimate hosts.  Bruce climbed out of bed early in the morning to cook breakfast.  He had so many suggestions including Russian caviar on toast points or English muffins.  We decided the English wouldn't mesh closely with the Russians and decided on scrambled eggs, toast, juice and coffee.  Too soon it was time to hit the road heading towards my alma mater, Nichols College in Dudley MA and a get together with Bill Pieczynski the VP for Advancement, Molly Thienel director of Alumni & Parent Engagement and Susan Veshi who cracks the whip over us lowly scribes ensuring we get our material in on time and that it be fit to print.  I digress here because I think Bill should recommend me for an Honorary Doctorate.  You tell me smarties, how many people can spell his name correctly?  Not only that but when I met he and Molly I told them I could still pronounce and spell Lake Chug or Webster so here goes....Chargoggagoggmanchauggaggoggchaubunagungamaugg.  That's probably worthy of an Honorable Doctorate in foreign language studies.  It's meaning in American Indian is...you fish on your side, I'll fish on my side and nobody fishes in the middle.  Thank you Bill, Molly and Susan for taking time out of your busy day to show me the new buildings on the campus and for lunch and my Nichols hat.  As I was getting ready to depart we took pictures of Bill and I and Susan and I.  I took my glasses off for the picture and set then on the rear seat of the bike.

After the picture I jumped on the bike and apparently forgot to put the glasses on.  I got down to Henri Davids place in Old Saybrook CT and noticed my glasses were missing.  We looked all over but found nothing.  Luckily Henri had a spare pair of glasses and they worked well so I am now using them.  Henri and I had a beer and he showed me all his beautiful cars in the barn but all too soon I had to climb back on the bike and head out for my evening stop.  Tomorrow will be another interesting day with a drive through New York City on the way to Barnegat Bay and a visit with Shindog, a very great Marine buddy.

6-7-17..Thank you God there is some sun in the Northeast.  Started the ride from Kittery Maine to Chestnut Hill Mass about 0900.  It was a little cool but the sun was out which was amazing to see.  I was riding to chestnut Hill to have lunch with Irv Frankel, an old Marine buddy and a battle hardened leatherneck with many combat missions in the bars of Marble Mountain Vietnam and Iwakuni Japan as well as forays into the "O" club at Naval Air Station Roosevelt Roads Puerto Rico.  He is a fine teller of stories but most of all, a great friend.  Irv took me to a great lunch.

too soon we had to part as I was heading to Falmouth on Cape Cod to visit and old college friend and his wife, Bruce and Carol Haslun.  They have a gorgeous old colonial home right in Falmouth and I arrived just about the cocktail hour so we partook of the same out on the patio in the sun and it was delightful.  Then they took me on a little tour and to dinner at a quaint old pub in downtown Falmouth.

All to soon it's get the blog published and get to bed because tomorrow is another riding day over to our Alma Mater and then down to Old Saybrook CT for a visit with a great college friend, Henri David.

So goodnight all, it was a good day.  Hope for some more of them. 

6-6-17...Had a great time visiting Bill and Nan Stanek.  The forecast for todays ride is supposed to be 85% chance of rain and a high of 48 degrees.  We took some pictures and then it was time to go.

The ride started off cold but no rain.  As I got close to the interstate to head south it started raining.  I got about 10 miles down the interstate when there was a great racket from under the center of the bike.  I stopped but was unable to determine what was causing the noise.  Called AAA and they sent a wrecker and took the bike back to augusta and Northern Country Motorcycles.  They found that of of the four bolts holding the driveshaft in place, two had broken and one was loose causing the drive shaft to make a great racket.   Three hours later I was back on the road in a downpour that lasted the entire 100 miles I had left to go.  I arrived safely and the cocktail was extra good tonight.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a better day.

Good night all.

6-3 to 6-5-17...Got caught up in events and failed to blog for a couple days.  Sat. the third we drove from Orford NH back to White River Junction because Katie's oldest, Owen who is 13 was playing Lacrosse.  So Bry and I went to watch him.  It was overcast but luckily no rain.  After his game was over we said our goodbye's and headed back to Orford.  On the way, Bry took me to this dairy farm.  They have between 450 and 500 Holstein cows and everything is automated.  The amazing thing is that all the cows know where to go and they amble around and wait their turn to go into the stall where their udders are automatically washed and then the milking machines are hooked on.  When the cow has been milked the stall opens, she steps out and another steps in.  Then they go to another station where a machine scratches their backs then they go to another location where they feed and lay down and sometime later back to the milking station.  Their are separate barns for birthing and then a separate barn for the heifers to grow.  It was really amazing.  Went out to a great place for lunch followed by a nap and then Suzie made another gourmet dinner and we watched Stanley cup finals hockey.
Sunday morning turned out to be sunny and nice.  Bry made waffles for breakfast and we said our goodbye's and I was off again to Littleton NH to visit Pete and Millie Smith.  Pete was a friend and classmate from college days.

Millie made a beautiful lunch including a Rhubarb pie which is my favorite.  Pete has been a competitive bike racer and bikes all the time so he showed me his stable of bikes which is very impressive.  Both are doing well and at the time he is getting the camper ready for a trip to Anchorage Alaska to visit their son.  To soon I had to say goodbye and continue on to my destination which is Industry Maine and the home of Bill and Nan Stanek.  Bill is an old Marine Corps compadre from back in the early 70's.  We played football for the Marine Corp Readiness Training Group at Cherry Point and won every game including the Marine Corps Birthday Bowl and then went to Camp Lejeune to play the Champion team from Fleet Marine Forces Atlantic and won that championship.  They were about to fly us to Hawaii to the All Marine championship when there was a fuel crunch so the Marine Corps frowned on sending a transport aircraft for a football game.  Instead, we went to Fort Bragg NC and played the Army's championship team from Fort Bragg and beat them 7 to 6.  At that time we hung up our cleats forever.

6-5-17  Today is overcast and dreary.  We just came back from breakfast at a nice restaurant on the lake.  Bill and Jan's place is on the lake and very secluded.  It's really beautiful.  It will be a slow and peaceful day and then I'll take them out for dinner somewhere this evening.  Tomorrow I'm off to Kittery Maine.  It's forecast to be another rainy day but by now I have webbed feet and can handle any amount of water.  Another nap might be in order this afternoon followed by a pick-me-up cocktail before dinner.  Hope y'all are enjoying the heat in Wilson and at the beach.  Have a great day.

6-2-17....This morning I am departing Katie and Davy's place in White River Junction VT and heading to visit another college friend Bry Beeson and his wife Suzie in Orford NH.  Before I do that though I am taking Liam, Katie's middle son to school on the motorcycle and then we are going to have breakfast at the King Arthur Café and Store and after that Katie is taking me to Davy's folks home to show me how they make maple syrup. 

From there I rode around beautiful Fairlee Lake and through some beautiful countryside to get to the Beeson reservation which is way out in the boondocks but absolutely beautiful.  Bry had some signs up to assure that I wouldn't get lost.

After we chatted for awhile he took me on a John Deere four wheel drive mountain climber and proceeded to give me a tour of his 375 acre estate, all the time telling me  to be aware of bears and snakes and this is the black fly season and limbs fall from trees and they are widow makers and a whole lot of other good information that I really needed to know to make my day.  And we're out there without any guns.  I miss my grenades and at least a good bayonet.  Then we stopped at Mud Turtle Pond and that made the trip most worthwhile.

 The pond has to be eight to ten acres in the middle of nowhere and just so quiet and peaceful.  I wanted to pitch my tent right there and spend the night but it's bad tick season so I gave up on that idea plus I had no tent.  We got back to the homestead where Suzie had a wonderful lunch waiting for us followed by naps and cocktails prior to departing for the Lyme Inn and a wonderful dinner.

It was a really nice day and I thank my host and for that matter all my hosts for putting up with me for as long as they had to.

My latest hosts, Bry and Suzie Beeson.  And with that concludes my reporting for the day.  If you have any problems with this reporters reports please take it up with the editor and you probably think he gives a s__t!!!

Good night all.

6-1-17....Yesterday I left Burlington heading for White River Junction and a visit with Katie and Davy Kitchel and their three boys Owen, Liam and Sebastian.  Would you believe it, the sun was out and it was a beautiful ride through the Vermont countryside.  I stopped in Stowe Vermont at the Alchemist Brewery because Katie had told me that Davy really likes their Heddy Topper beer (8% alcohol) and people come from all over to buy it at $12.50 a four pack.  So I picked up two four packs and naturally I had to sample some of the product.  The bar maid and I struck up a conversation about my travels and I might have still been there today sampling but for the necessity of getting to White River Junction.  Now to say the Kitchels live off the beaten path is a misnomer.  There is no path.  You have to make your own.  It was three miles of dirt roads and steep hills but once you arrive you are rewarded with a most beautiful view of I believe the Green Mountains.  There home is right outside Hanover NH and Norwich VT and the home of Dartmouth college.

Snow on the mountain

This is Stowe on the left & Killington Basin on the right.  Notice there is still snow on the top of the mountain.

This is the Kitchel homestead and what a beautiful home it is including the breathtaking views of the mountains from their deck

Katie and Davy put together a fantastic dinner and then we sat up until midnight solving all the worlds problems.  It was a fun evening.  Let me go back a little.  As I was riding this route to White River Junction I got a call from Lou Stroller wondering how I was doing with all the bad weather we were having.  Thanks so much Lou.  Then I was about three miles from my destination when I received a call from "Batman" Cenci.  Apparently he had been conjuring with the weather gods and they let him in on some secret info that a very bad electrical storm with hail was about to strike our area.  I thanked him but was not concerned because I was so close to my destination.  Katie let me park the motorcycle in the garage and a short time later we left to take her oldest, Owen to lacrosse  practice.  The storm erupted with lightning and hail the size of basketballs, well, maybe small marbles, but very dangerous with a deluge of rain. I was so thankful to be in a car.

"Batman", thanks so much for the heads up.

This morning I surprised Owen and took him to school on the motorcycle.  He thoroughly enjoyed it and as we were approaching the school he was waving to all his friends so it will be interesting to hear how his day went.  Then I met Katie at the King Arthur Café and Store and we had breakfast.  The King Arthur Flour Company has been in Davy's family for hundreds of years and was just recently sold to the employees.  Then I came back to the house and spent a couple hours cleaning up my bike after the many days (7) that I have been riding in the rain.

Now it is cocktail time and then we are going out to the kids favorite hamburger joint.

One note....Davy has a Tesla fully electric car.  Katie took me for a ride in it.  The acceleration was better than a cat shot off the USS Nimitz.  One second I was sitting in the front seat.  the next second the bottom portion of me was sitting in the front seat while my head resided in the back seat.  It was a hoot.

Well good evening all, it's cocktail time.