Never Again…..

I have a lot of “pet peeves”. One is how manufacturers package mayonnaise and other semi-liquid products……think plastic mayonnaise or mustard bottles.

I hate these containers. No matter the fact that I store them upside down and shake the contents toward the opening before squeezing, after a blop of mayo I hear air. So I shake again and am rewarded with another blop. It gets worse and worse as the container empties. When I finally give up shaking and screw off the plastic top I can see that there is a lot of mayo still inside but unwilling to ooze toward the opening. I need more to make my egg salad or whatever so frustration results. I've tried using knives from the silverware drawer to scrape out the bottom with mixed results. I've tried resealing the bottle and then pounding it on the counter.....zip.

I finally found a small spreader in a kitchen aisle somwhere and found that it does a pretty acceptable job helping me to scrape out the semi-thick contents. Oh I know why the manufacturers do this.....they know you'll give up and just go buy more to increase their profits. Well I am going back to large mouth bottles even if they don't fit well in the little RV refrigerator.

My hero.......

A Thanks To Tim…..

When we left on this latest RV trip on April 26th I had our small freezer packed with flat dinners. I had been ordering some extra meals and freezing them in baggies to make some meals super easy.

Of course we had burgers one night and brats another time. We spent a total of about seven nights parked in family and friends’ driveways where we enjoyed some delicious entrees. All in all the dietary side of this RV trip was really good. 

But I think I saved the best for almost last. A special thank you to Eastcastle Place’s terrific head chef. Tim Muench put pasta primavera on the menu shortly before we left and I ordered an extra to take along. He used tortellini pasta, a good variety of veggies and a most delicious sauce…..it is one of my favorite choices whenever it appears as a selection.

Yesterday I defrosted it and Dave and I had a most delicious camping dinner. 

Cheers to Tim! I hope he runs “our” kitchen as long as we live at ECP!

Montana, Greenville and Gansevoort….

What makes a friendship? In my opinion it sort of depends on many factors … when you met (childhood, high school, adulthood?). How much time did you spend together? What kinds of things do you have in common? How much time do you have to develop a relationship? Lots of factors but perhaps the most important factor (as an adult) might be luck when paths cross unexpectedly.

One of our first long western RV trips included a Roadtrek gathering in Red Lodge, Montana. We’d already moved along roads from Wisconsin through Nebraska to Colorado and north through Wyoming with stops at the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. We joined other Roadtrekers in Red Lodge for a photography opportunity for Dave. It was three or four days with camera and photography as the focus. 

We met lots of nice people at this adventure but when Greg and Chris bicycled up to our site one evening for a visit something “clicked”…we just had so much fun talking to them. We sort of kept in touch after everyone pulled out with Christmas cards I think. Years later Dave and I spent a winter month in Greenville, SC and found they lived there, so we spent a fun evening at their house and discovered more commonalities. I remember driving back to our rental that evening wishing that we’d met them earlier in our married life and that they lived closer!

And so here comes our 2023 RV trip to the East Coast and we remembered they’d moved back up to New York State. A few shared emails and we found we could camp at a state park north of Albany and they were free to drive up for a third visit. And we had a relaxing lunch, long conversation, hike around part of the park and some goodbye hugs.

They drove off with a wave and againI thought “Damn! I wish they lived in Milwaukee! We vowed to stay in touch and encouraged them to come camping out our way. So who knows if/when there will be visit number four.

Maybe the connection is stronger than we realized. I gave Chris a letter to mail and when she saw my return address label she texted : “Greg’s sisters name is Linnea!” 

What are the chances!?

Threads…..

I guess if we said this eastern RV trip had a “purpose” it would be reconnecting. As I posted a few days ago we had been able to spend time with five very special friends along the way…..and maybe we saved the “best” for last.

Dave’s brother Bill and wife Claire live in Atkinson, NH and we rarely get together…..weddings and funerals and a few visits in between. It’s hardly enough in-person time! So we just brought our rolling bedroom to their driveway for three nights and really enjoyed some concentrated family time. 

Their three “kids” brought their kids to share one afternoon and a delicious meal. Brother Bill does a killer  job with his huge grill and Claire is no slouch in her big kitchen! (I would recommend their place as one of the best B&B’s on the east coast but membership is very limited!) 

The whole visit was just so relaxing and so much fun. Bill “worried” that nothing special was planned….no outings or explorations. But after all the driving we’ve done in the past few weeks I hugged him and said this time together was just the best. Strengthening the threads that hold our far flung family together.

Plus Fenway had fun with Cousin Charley and explored their basement to peek at the cats and eat the cat food!

The only sour note was that we pulled two ticks off Dave! 

Expected and Unexpected While Wandering……

The last few days of this latest RV trip have given us the chance to connect with old friends and find some real spring weather. After the quilt show in Paducah We planned to make our first stop in Leavenworth, Indiana to spend a night with my cousin’s husband. Then our route took us to Chestertown, Maryland to visit another best friend’s husband….and some blooming azaleas and dogwood. Then on to one night in Old New Castle, Delaware where we owned a 200 year old house for ten years before going sailing. We visited overnight with another best friend’s husband.

Today we drove northeast through Pennsylvania and into New York finding a lovely site along the Susquehanna River.

After dinner at the picnic table we took Fenway for a walk along the river. Sitting on a bench I noticed something odd at a nearby tree.

 I got up and walked over to check it out and was stunned by the little sign posted below. Dave walked Fenway up the path while, unbeknownst to him, I sent a message to my Mom, cousin and two best friends.

I don’t expect that my words will go anywhere except, perhaps, to the heart of the tree….but having worked for two hospices before retirement I was stunned and touched when I found this opportunity.

That Small Scab…..

We left Milwaukee on Wednesday heading for Paducah, KY in our little RV. Last weekend in April meant it was time to rendezvous with best of friends at Massac State Park. Three nights of camping and two days for Pat and I to enjoy the annual AQS Quilt Show.

I’ve been lucky enough to go to the show several times before…and each year it is filled with amazing work. I love to quilt, and have been doing so for over 40 years. However walking up and down the rows of  over 400 quilts alternately inspires me and makes me want to “give up”!

Will I ever create on this level? No. Will I stop enjoying my “addiction”? No.

We enjoyed our Paducah visit….conversation with friends, card games, shared meals….quilts. The best of times!

We parted ways on Sunday and Dave and I headed to Leavenworth, IN and a visit to my cousin Claudia’s farm. We pulled in, parked and gave her husband, Rob, big hugs. An evening with him sharing memories and a delicious dinner. And then I made the “mistake” of taking the walk down Claudia’s “driveway”…the walk we shared so many times. And the tears flowed.

The scab on my heart gets smaller every year since she died, but walking this particular walk tears it off again……every time.