10 October 2019, Thursday: It’s a gray morning at Seawall. O and I drive into Southwest Harbor and enjoy breakfast at Sips Cafe. Then we are on the road towards Gorham with an obligatory stop at LLBean in Freeport. By evening we are back in Gorham where we receive a warm welcome from N’s parents. We head onto Portland to visit N and G’s apartment where we hear tales of sauerkraut, both newly prepped and also a recently discovered 5 year old vintage vat over glasses of cider and a plate of cookies.
11 October 2019, Friday: O has made arrangements to meet an old friend in Gorham for lunch. After a couple of hours catching up, we return to N’s parents’ house where G is busy with preparations for Saturday’s wedding celebration for two Portland friends. Somehow, even with all the preparations, she and N manage to prepare a delectable lasagna made with homemade pasta and homemade cashew based “ricotta.” Dinner with N, G and N’s parents is absolutely delightful.
12 October 2019, Saturday: The time has come to return home. O and I have decided that the extra hour of driving we will gain by heading first towards Albany along I-90 and then down the NYS Thruway is well worth it to avoid Connecticut and New York City traffic. I contact cousin D to see if he will be available for a late lunch along our way in Woodstock. He’s in Albany visiting a friend so we make arrangements to meet at a restaurant on the Hudson, just south of Albany. The cloudy morning clears as we drive and fall colors are exploding along the Massachusetts Turnpike. After a lovely lunch on a deck overlooking the Hudson, O and I proceed down the Thruway where we are treated to more brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows. We finally arrive home to a quiet house. Dad is watching TV and Lucy is asleep on the sofa. She wakes and greets us enthusiastically (as does Dad,) but she is calmer than she has been for past daytime arrivals. We chat a bit with Dad, but O and I are more than ready to get to sleep. Tomorrow there will be plenty of time to recount adventures and unload Vincent.