Day 18: A Sun Tea Day– if only I had room to store that which could so easily be made. Instead we went with Mohegan Sun to keep cool, with a just noticeable essence of smoke.  Lucky? No, not our summer for luck. The casino visit was preceded by a stop at the hospital where Russ’s dad has been for the past 10 days. We have little hope that he will leave.

Day 19: Dining out is IN! On a hot, humid day like today, off the boat is a must. We met up with Benj and Lily in Bristol where we toured the Herreshoff Maritime Museum, ate lunch at the Beehive Café and after a short walk, finished off with the smoothest ice cream I’ve eaten in a while.

Our table tiger guards the delicious smoothies

Dinner found us not quite so coastal at Not Your Average Joe’s about 15 mins away in Seekonk, Ma.  This is quite the popular place. With less than 20 locations, it qualifies for “mini-chain” and they have found the formula for success. We’d drive by on our way to Stop & Shop or Home Depot and the parking lot was full- at lunch time. Our waiter, Douglas, was unquestionably in our list of top 3 wait staff; ever. The bread, with cheese/garlic oil dip, the drinks and the entire menu: all fresh, never frozen and the prices were very reasonable. At the end, we received a cell phone; not to keep but to take a survey. It is attached to a smooth cedar plank on which you also receive your bill. Three thumbs up; we’d go back in a heartbeat.

Day 20: Yippee for Thunderstorms.  Bring ‘em on; let’s get this HHH pushed out and back to more humane temps. (a high of 96 at 2pm dropped like a rock to 79 at 5:30pm)  Before the lightning show at 4pm, we enjoyed a delightful mid-morning brunch at Lori and Martin’s. We bid farewell to Benj and Lily who would head back to VT today; she to Middlebury and he to Home Sweet Yurt. Wait, is that a sander I see?  sandpaper and a white suit?  Noooooooo, the dreaded bottom sanding, which precedes the most fun of all, bottom painting. With a hopeful back-in-the-water day of Wed, he who works too hard, is entering the final work phase. He’s so lucky to have my to photograph his accomplishments (and manly outfits).

Get a look at those booties!