New England Saga Continues

So on Wednesday, I spent the morning packing and saying good bye to my kids. I then went on the train from Vermont to Connecticut. I did no exercise, but did well sticking to diet.

I arrived and my father and his wife picked me up and we went to a wonderful restaurant S & P Oyster Company on the Mystic River by a drawbridge. It was lovely, and despite all the wonderful things on the menu, I had a great salad, it was grilled apples and dried cranberries a top a bed of baby spinach leaves with feta cheese. It was wonderful. Of course I also shared some wonderful oysters a top a bed of delicious seaweed. Yes I said seaweed, and before my diet, I would have ignored the seaweed and just eaten the oysters, but I had two oysters and ate all the seaweed which was very delicious believe it or not.

When we returned to my Dad's house, he and I and his wife sat around chatting till we were ready for bed. It was a great trip, the train was mostly empty. I went to get lunch on the train, and there was a young college age boy ahead of me. As I waited in line the attendant, an older gentleman, chastised the boy, explaining to him what chivalry was, and how he should never let a woman stand in line before him. I smiled and the attendant and I shared as a smile as the boy stood there in confusion, not moving and not seeming to know how to act, it was quite funny.

So, spent the day on Thursday with step mom (10 years younger then me) in Groton and Mystic, Connecticut.

We walked up and then back down a 166 step spiral staircase in the Groton Memorial Monument. The Battle of Groton Heights was a battle of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 6, 1781 between a small Continental Army force led by William Ledyard and the more numerous British forces lead by Benedict Arnold and Lieutenant Colonel Eyre. It resulted in a decisive British victory.

Mystic Seaport is an outdoor maritime Museum that tells the stories of America and the sea. Located on a 40 acre waterfront site in the town of Mystic, Connecticut, the museum exhibits historic tall ships and small boats, a New England coastal village and extensive collections of art, ship models and artifacts. The museum also offers hands-on activities for children and adults, crafts demonstrations, educational programs and a variety of special events. Mystic Seaport is also the site of current efforts to build a replica of the ship Amistad, a Spanish slave-ship commandeered by 53 Africans who were to be sold into slavery in Cuba. The Charles W. Morgan ship also offers information on the African-Americans and maritime life during the 19th century.

Anyway, both were cool, but oooohh was I wiped out! Back home to a great home cooked meal by step mom (she cooked while I exercised, lol), and a relaxing evening of talking with dad and her. So Friday all day and night and half of Saturday I spent on the train. Once again, I met the neatest people! Oh my calves hurt today, I think it was the 166 steps in the spiral staircase at the Monument we climbed on Thursday, and then sitting and sleeping a little curled up all day and night Friday. Anyway, hopefully some exercise tonight will loosen in all up! Now I am at my Mom's to spend the night before going home tomorrow or Monday (it is only about a 3 hour drive).

Visiting Vermont

I know you all may be tired of reading my travel stories, feel free to skim. I enjoyed the comments yesterday however, and it is fun to write about. I have done well on keeping to exercise plan, and yesterday, walked a lot as part of our sightseeing. My calorie range has been near the top of the allowed amount of a little over each day. I justify this by sharing they are good wholesome calories. My sister in law makes everything from scratch, half her ingredients are grown in her own yard, the other half bought from the farmers market. She is a wonderful cook. I will be sad to be leaving. Today I leave, but the kids stay behind for another few days, then go to my Dad's in CT.

So, for yesterday, the adventure continued. We went to the Montshire Museum in Norwich VT. The kids had a blast running around learning about science and playing with everything. Then we went for a walk along the walking trail. It was so beautiful and peaceful. We walked 2 miles there, the kids were exhausted by the time we left. But, it was off to the next place.

Our next stop was Quechee Gorge, although we did stop off at this quaint little hometown pizza place along the way. I only had two pieces of plain cheese along with the water me and the boys gulped from our hike. We stopped at Quechee Gorge Village where the boys rode a little train around the village and we visited the toy museum. I saw old dolls from the 1920s, and the curator and I had excited conversations and reminiscences about the metal lunch boxes, sharing which lunch boxes were our favorites, as well as which old television shows we missed. The boys rolled their eyes in embarrassment, but were enthralled with all the star wars toys and the elaborate train sets. Next we visited the blacksmith and the winery, before moving on to the Gorge itself.

The boys were not up to walk again, but, Mommy made them, which they were glad about when they saw everything. First we walked down the trails along the side of the gorge which was breathtakingly beautiful, but you really could not get the effect, so after a 30 minute walk we walked back out to the road and went on the bridge to the middle of the gorge, my oldest shared he realized now he was scared of heights, but he survived. OMG it was beautiful.

Okay, so off again as it began to rain to our next and final stop for the day, Sugarbush Farm. The ride was wonderful! We drove along River Road to Taftsville (apparently selected as one of the top 10 drives in Vermont). On our way to Sugarbush farms we had to drive through an old covered bridge. It was so cool, I felt like I was traveling back in time. We continued on back roads until reaching the farm, where Ms. Betsy shared her family's farming history and showed us how maple syrup was made. We walked around the farm, and while talking to the staff at the maple syrup store ran into someone who had lived in our small hometown in Clewiston, Florida for 21 years. It was amazing. My kids did not get why I thought it was incredible that someone from this small little town in VT not only knew but had lived in our small little town in South Florida. They figured everyone knew where Clewiston was, why would they not, lol.

By this time we were exhausted, so it was back in the car and return to New Hampshire. We returned home to a homemade meal from scratch. We had homemade chicken soup, and a chicken salad sandwich on homemade bread! It was wonderful, and even with a slice of the homemade fudge I had picked up for my in-laws, I stayed within my calorie range. Despite being exhausted, after we had eaten and I had rested a bit, I got up and did all my strength training. Today I travel by train to visit my Dad overnight, then back home to work (traveling by train again).

My first train vacation from FL to New England!

What a wonderful vacation. I am having so much fun, but I have to share some stories. I am just so impressed and although I have traveled a lot all over the world, this has been quite a unique trip and it continues to be. Half the fun has just been getting here. I will start with telling you about the train ride.

Me and the kids traveled by train from South Florida to New Hampshire. We met the most exciting and friendly people. I vow to take the time to "enjoy the ride" on the plane and avoid the fast paced stress and cost of air travel.

On the train, I met Barbara. She lives in Miami but was going to her original home in New York. She was looking for someone to play dominoes, so I passed the away the wee morning hours away with her. We played dominoes and she has related she has been traveling trains for years. we played several games and then Bobby woke up and joined us in the dining car to play one with her while I checked on DJ and got the boys their breakfast, then all three of us played one game. We also met Sam who befriended DJ sitting next to him, it was his first time on a train, he was going home to North Carolina from Central Florida. He related that the gas prices and the airline fiasco made him travel by train for the first time. We saw eye to eye on this one. He gave DJ his blanket when he got off the train and wished us well, as DJ has been borrowing it most of the trip, lol. DJ's next friend Craig boarded at the same stop that Sam departed from, (just before daylight), he had been living in NC for 20 years and was going home to New Jersey to visit parents, he related he had been traveling the trains for years as well.

It was his preferred method of traveling due to cost and just the pure sheer fun and the people you meet. The people on the train were wonderful, in the dining car we met lots of nice people and the staff were absolutely wonderful, I loved traveling by train so much I will do it from now on. We felt an instant kinship with the staff. Our train stopped in Richmond VA and we had a wonderful visit there, with a 5 hour lay over we stored our carry-ons and went off for a walk. We walked to Shoney's and had a wonderful lunch, the boys could not understand the waitress when she said water, when I told them what she said they wanted to know what language she was speaking. It was so hard not to laugh! If they only knew how their accents sounded to others.

Our next train was late, and not as cushy, although at least we had plug ins at our seats (which we have not had before so the boys could use all their electronic forms their seats). It did not have a dinning car, only a snack bar, but the kids were happy they got pizza, and we got to meet neat people on this train as well. The seats on this train seemed larger to me though and more comfy, although the boys noticed right away they had no foot rests, something I probably would never have noticed. I also got to read a great fiction book, first book I have read for pure enjoyment in years. I had brought a bible study book and Hillary's "It Takes A Village" to read, but still have not opened them yet, lol.

I'm afraid this old train ride has reinforced my old prejudices however. I thought I was making progress on my opinion of the upper class, but the middle and lower class train travelers, and those traveling by train to rail against the gas prices were so much more real, nicer, friendly and more open and welcoming than any travelers I have met in my years of airline travel. Perhaps I have found a new way to travel, there is little hustle and bustle, and people take time to "enjoy the ride", enjoy life and really live. It is something foreign to airline travelers. There was a comradery amongst us.

Not to mention watching all the wonderful forests, rural towns, and countryside along the way. The towns and store fronts around the tiny train stations were wonderful, in VA there was one little store front along the tracks, looked like an old trading post. It was a mile or so from the station and called the "smashed penny country store", I had to explain to the boys why that was funny. They did not understand how one could "smash" a penny that was already flat, lol. I thought about showing them, but then remembered the sugar train near our house and my fear of them playing near the train tracks and decided it was was best for Bobby just to think I was "dumb Mom". I could just imagine the boys standing to close to the trains as they washed their own pennies being smashed on the railway.

The trip from VA to Boston was still good but not as nice. The train was more cramped. The people were not as friendly, although still much better than fellow air travelers. We got to Boston and found our bags were in New York, lol. We filled out all the paperwork and then went to enjoy a nice breakfast in the fancy Boston train station, much bigger with more amenities than the others we had seen. Then we took the bus to New Hampshire, and again, the people who travel by bus are just so much nicer and friendlier than those who travel by plane. It was a wonderful trip getting here.

I have enjoyed my family while being here, and the weather is so cool. I giggle every time one of them complains of the heat and humidity and invite them to South Florida in August. We sleep with the windows open and the lovely breeze. It is so cool and nice. I cannot get over that my husband's family leaves their doors open, locking only the screen doors so as too keep the fresh breeze going throughout the house. I borrowed the car one day, to pick up our luggage (2 days after we arrived) at the bus station. I was so happy! But was again shocked, my sister in law leaves her car unlocked with the key in the door panel. OMG! There apparently is no crime here, no one worries about it at all. AMAZING. But it is so relaxing, the trees and nature and the people here in the Valley are wonderful!

I am also doing a great job on sticking to my exercise plan, although I have gone over on my calories some days. OMG! Hold on everyone, while on vacation I went shopping for jeans, I AM NOW IN A SIZE 14! WOOOO HOOOO! Today we are taking a day trip to Vermont, cannot wait to tell you about it!