http://www.onthenosedesign.com/E-Communique/009_jun11.html
30 Jun, Thurs: We are switching rooms at the Inn at Long Trail because our room has been rented over the weekend. We like the new room better so we will stay in Rooon 17 until the 17th of July when we head to Guilford, VT to help Beanie and Eddie move into their new lodging.
29 Jun, Wed: Hiked the Long Trail - impressed that the trail was better today after Ron's work on clearing it yesterday.
28 Jun: Tues: Hiked again on Long Trail three hours to the clearing that is half an hour from the summit. Ron is doing trail maintenance routing the standing water on the trail.
27 Jun, Mon: Hiked on Long Trail about two hours. Huffing and puffing.
26 Jun, Sun: The rain stopped - the sun came out. We drove a hiker who looked like such a sick puppy the previous two mornings at breakfast, suffering from Lyme disease, to Hanover, NH to catch up with his hiking companions and treated them to lunch at the Hanover Inn. After lunch we hiked through Hanover and Norwich on the AT to meet and greet the rest of the group. Oh were they surprised to see US, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"
25 Jun, Sat: And MORE RAIN. A thousand piece puzzle has been completed at the Inn. Cynthia read four books on her IPad. We joined a fitness center and did an hour workout.
24 Jun, Fri: RAIN, RAIN, RAIN
23 Jun, Thurs: RAIN ... SIX WEEK ANNIVERSARY!
22 Jun: Wed: Rain
21 Jun, Tues: We've gone hiking each of the last two days. We are trying to break Cynthia in slowly so as not to inflame the bursitis, so the present limit is about two hours. We haven't had any luck finding flat and level around here.
First night we stayed at the Inn of the Six Mountains, but were disappointed with desk staff and continental breakfast, so second night we stayed at the Inn at Long Trail, an icon of the Long Trail and of the Appalachian Trail. Breakfast suited, bed suited, price suited, temperatures cool for sleeping, so we've booked a week.
Over breakfast I chatted with an obvious hiker sitting alone, then with another who is recovering from brain surgery. I got them confused and later offered the wrong one a ride ... but on the plus side his girlfriend (my assumption) sat on his lap during the 1 mile ride to the trailhead. In the afternoon while Cynthia and I were hiking along the AT several miles away, we were VERY surprised to run into the girl again ... and I was even more surprised to learn that she had started at Springer Mountain in Georgia on the 22nd of March ... so she has walked about 1700 miles already, averaging about 20 miles a day. THAT is FAST. The (presumed) boyfriend had started in Tennessee. Boyfriend/girlfriend status now very doubtful. She has a deadline to report to grad school at UC Berkeley.
I had cell phone signal, so called a few of my friends from my AT hike in 2008. (Not one AT hiker friend came to the wedding, not one Florida Keys friend came to the wedding. I was very disappointed, but I've learned, and Cynthia and I will not schedule the our next wedding for Thursday. We will just have to wait until my birthday falls on a weekend.)
While talking to Ed K. in NY, ahead of Cynthia on the trail, Ron took the trail to the Falls for a big surprise; the water flow had increased dramatically since the trip up the mountain. Cynthia ... being busy swatting a gnat out of her eye....missed that turn off the AT, but she did see a bright red fox on the boardwalk crossing the marsh; it turned tail and scampered back. Surprised not to see her follow on the Falls trail Ron retraced his steps to fetch her to "hurry back and see the waterfalls, now." By the time we arrived at back at the Falls, someone must have turned the water off on top: a small stream of water was once again flowing over the rocks and rills.
Now it is time for me to resume computer work. (Cynthia is still sleeping. I awakened about 2:30 am and decided to get up rather than lie abed awake.)
Later - much later - after falling asleep again, breakfast, computer work, and lunch at Sugar and Spice, we hiked around Chittendon Lake; it was supposed to be a 2.9 trip around the lake - flat. "About two miles into the wilderness, water washed out the trail so we turned around and Cynthia fell FLAT! Just another one of those osteoporosis tests she passed again: no osteoporosis, no broken bones or torn skin. A red-headed woodpecker spotted in the woods. The 80 minute hike was about four miles.
20 Jun, Mon: Cinnamon French toast piled HIGH on the plate, mouth-watering stacks of pancakes with REAL maple syrup, bacon and eggs, home-made strawberry jam... MMMM. It looks so delicious on the table next to ours with YOU KNOW WHAT: egg white veggie omelets.
Super thanks to Sally and Richard, this is a link to the Swedish Colonial News online E-Communique showing our work at the Lutheran Seminary Archives in Philadelphia:
http://www.onthenosedesign.com/E-Communique/009_jun11.html
19 Jun, Sun: Not on the recommended list, The Inn of the Six Mountains in Killington, VT. The irritating night clerk was obviously irritated at leaving a more pleasurable activity to work. We declined the Continental breakfast at the Inn opting for a highly recommended Sugar and Spice Breakfast and Lunch Restaurant in Rutland. Sunday (treat day for Smooch Smooch) being the occasion, she ordered a silver dollar size blueberry pancake which arrived the size of a dinner plate. Overjoyed, she ate half of it without butter and a tiny dot of real maple syrup. YUM! The restaurant deserves a high five! Our two hour hike on the Long Trail was long enough for a first day. We will stay at the Inn at Long Trail in Killington for a week. Good food, fireplace in suite and hiking right out the door. Besides, one of us enjoys visiting with EVERYONE a lot.
18 Jun, Sat: Departing by one PM to hike in Killington, VT we detoured for the scenery in the Hudson River Valley. Marvelous. That was wonderful visit #2 brought about by the Hillsdale destination. So I felt curious to see the place responsible for our delightful jaunt through New York and the Hudson River Valley. We took the Taconic Parkway north to New Lebanon and found a marvelous restaurant, Mario's, on State Highway 22.
Here is a link to the Swedish Colonial News online E-Communique showing the work we have been doing at the Lutheran Seminary Archives in Philadelphia:
http://www.onthenosedesign.com/E-Communique/009_jun11.html
17 Jun, Fri: Fishkill...! Kill is the Dutch name for a stream. Fishkill likely means a stream with good fishing. This is a charming town with lovely, pleasant people in the local Wal-Mart and at the post office. The downtown is quite delightful, too. Marissa and family will not be going to their farm for the weekend after all; Susannah (three year old) has strep throat. Thanks to the plan to visit Marissa... we had the surprising opportunity to visit Cynthia's cousins and Paddy-O, a great philosopher and provider of trail magic for hikers on the AT. We enjoyed seeing Cynthia's cousins tremendously - and would have picked a different route if we had not intended to visit Marissa in Hillsdale.
From Newton, we drove to Harriman State Park on the AT in NY to visit with a favorite hiker who spends his off-time (mechanical engineer) providing refreshment and food for hikers as a memorial to a special friend who passed away. The first thing Cynthia noticed (backing away quickly) was the ripe, pungent air near the hikers who had likely not bathed for a few days. See Photo of Paddy-O left, hikers with aroma middle and Ron right. Paddeo and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing each other again and talked for three hours. Unfortunately Cynthia could not hear Paddeo since his lips don't move a lot and the wind and traffic noise confounded her hearing. Besides, the bugs liked her, so she retreated to the car.
15 Jun, Wed: Car is packed, delightful last lunch with Rev. Kim-Eric at the archives, thank you cards, packages mailed and departure. Hillsdale was a wonderful destination since it took us through Sparta, NJ. this afternoon; as we blew through that town, Cynthia suddenly came out of the fog with a start, asking, "Sparta, New Jersey???" Yup. "I have a cousin I'd like to see there." Let's stop. "Oh it would be too rude to drop in unexpectedly." Yes Dear!!! Why don't you just call & say hi? "Oh I couldn't." You could just tell them that we suddenly found ourselves passing through town, so you called. Who knows, maybe they'd like to say hi. "(sounds of furiously fast texting)" "They are going to Nantucket." By now we are 10 miles from town and darkness is descending rapidly, so I pull over to pee. (The unusual part is that there was actually an authorized pee place there, a porta-potty in the park.) The GPS only works at rest, so we looked for a hotel and the closest recognizable brand was 10 miles behind us in a town named Newton. The conversation continued -- Why don't you call again and tell them that we've booked a room at the Holiday Inn in Newton. "They are going to Nantucket." Have they already left? "I don't know." If you don't call, we won't see them; if you call they might want to come later. Besides Newton is pretty close to Sparta. "(sounds of more furious texting)" "Wonderful, they can meet us in town for breakfast - it is only 10 minutes from their house."
14Jun, Tues: Forefather's SCS database work, thank you cards, etc.
13 Jun, Mon: Writing thank you cards in process. Wonderful lunch with Jean and Eric in Bryn Mawr.
12 Jun, Sun: A quiet day. After we cleaned, the maid was actually allowed into clean our room. Smooch Smooch uploaded and identified wedding photos taken by the Gregory's (thanks, Clark and Elizabeth) and honeymoon photos; "Beatty Bahd Cohds" and cloudy skies prevented taking many photos. Funniest photos are of cousin Marissa's professionally applied "Smooch Tattoo" on the groom. Each day for eight days we took a photo to see how it would hold up... until Marissa explained she forgot to mention it is permanent. She is one delightful IMP! Smooch Smooch also uploaded all of the photographer's photos. Here are links:
https://picasaweb.google.com/rsbeatty/WEDDINGIMAGES
https://picasaweb.google.com/rsbeatty/RonAndCynthiaWeddingPhotos12May2011
https://picasaweb.google.com/rsbeatty/20110612Weddinghoneymoon
Going through the cards, gifts and wonderful messages of love and support from the great group that attended to the multitude that could not attend... we are heartened by the love and joy at our happiness.
11 Jun, Sat: The week that was included learning Family Tree Maker and deciding it doesn't work for Geeks (maybe the Master Genealogist program for the database for the Swedish Colonial Society). We had a good meeting on Wednesday with the archives committee, a fabulous dinner with the Rambos to celebrate Herb's retirement and a marvelous evening with Sally and Nagle on Thursday night. The week that was did not include getting over a cruddy cold, but Ron was amazing! He has written MOST of the thank you notes!
6 Jun: Mon: Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania, slightly NW of Philadelphia, in our usual Holiday Inn (at an exceptional rate that includes egg white veggie omelets). Today Ron paid bills and caught up on e-mail. Next task is to do a little on Family Tree Maker before commencing to write wedding gift thank-yous. The pile of "things" on the back burner represents a four-alarm fire hazard.
5 Jun, Sunday: We attended the opening of a new exhibit at the Swedish Museum and saw a real, live princess (Princess Madeleine of Sweden). The leading lady of the performance was Esther Ann McFarland whose ancestors were the focal point for the new exhibit, and the directing star was Sandra Pfaff. It was a delight to see Herb & Zophia, Sally & Nagel (with their handsome son and two lovely granddaughters), Alfred & wife, Tina (in costume), and several others whose names escape me. (I could mention Alfred's wife because our conversation revealed that she remembers names no better than I do.)
3 June, Fri: 4:45 wake up call in order to eat an unsatisfactory breakfast before the 6 AM departure to London Heathrow for a three PM flight to Boston and on to Newark where shuttle arrived in minutes to "whisk" us to Fort Washington, PA by 10:10 PM. What a bummer !! Ron shoulda remembered that rum & diet coke contains caffeine. He was awake for the entire 6-hour flight despite being desperately tired and headachey, still suffering cold symptoms including clogged head and dry cough. Smooch smooch flattened her seat into a bed and slept a few hours on each plane and additionally on the shuttle.
2 June, Thurs: Paris and the Louvre.
1 June, Wed: Smooch Smooch is confined to quarters sick abed. Ron is visiting varied and sundry folks like a 90 year old mortician, a social studies teacher and doing Sudoku besides checking on his bride. By three she was out of bed to attend the wine tasting but coughed incessantly wondering if that was a mistake. We spent the day at sea.
