As we make final departure preparations I must squeeze in a few words about things to be thankful for:
In no special order:
– Two months of projects are done, with only two new issues to resolve
– Spending time with family and friends
– great food and company on Thanksgiving. Awesome pies and we took home some leftovers
– No major injuries or illnesses
– Russ saw an allergist- yippee!!
– The price of fuel is dropping
– My washer/dryer combo unit- love it
– My microwave/convection oven works really well
– Our water pipes didn’t freeze
– Departure day weather looks precip-free
– Adventures lie ahead in the months and years to come

Bonny received her spa treatment despite the cold, windy day available to make that happen. “Wipe New” is as good as its name; just keep it away from the painted sections. That blue painter’s tape came in handy for help with that.

One wipe and wow!

Brrrrr

You may not be surprised to see that we relented and opted for a special license plate to complement Bonny’s.

New CT Long Island Sound license plate

Notice that CT makes a poor choice with the term “camper” plates but cleverly fits in the word. Opted for locking screws, of course.

Installing new roof vent covers which allow for greater air flow than the old ones

David and Matt carve that big bird!

Cleverly named cheese. Do you get it?

Much happiness aboard when Benj arrived safely; first at David’s for Thanksgiving feasting. Although I noticed we don’t consume quite as much (pie especially) as we used to, but Seth, Matt and Benj sure ate their share.

Our last four Thanksgivings were spent with 100-plus other cruisers in Vero Beach where most us sat safely on moorings, rafted together so that no one was without a place to be.

Being with our family (missing those in CA and MA as well as those who have passed on) was simply wonderful and we treasure every moment, for who knows where we’ll be next year.

Benj brought us a goodie bag filled with treats he knew we’d love. Dark Chocolate Quinoa cubes, dark chocolate kissed mango slices, the cheese pictured and more.

One last note: this is posting number 401. This means, dear reader, that you may have read 400 posts before this one. Wow! If you even read 25% of them, that’s pretty amazing. Thanks for being a follower or stopping by once in a while. Now that we’ll be traveling the high ways instead of the high seas I can’t predict much except that we can cover as many miles in one hour as we did in one day. See you down south!

Despite all the things we needed and wanted accomplish, high on the list was getting together with friends and family. Dining out was not forgotten either. 🙂 We tried a few new places; all looked to be a success though we won’t need to return to one. Enjoyed a few old favs but timing and weather kept us away from Lobster Landing. Their version of take-out came in handy though and it’s called ordering a lobster roll “in parts”. All the components are provided, wrapped individually, tucked in a bag along with an instruction card. Wouldn’t expect any less from the top hot lobster roll place in the USA.
Halloween meant we’d head to David’s for our first trick-or-treats “at home” in years. Showers  kept away the hordes and all we heard about was the best costume, George Washington, who arrived before we got there! Well, I made the most of it.

I hogged the candy bowl

Our nephew, Matt, got the royal candy “treat”ment too.

During the summer months our favorite go-to wine emporium regularly offers Saturday tastings on the deck with evening events during the week. Lucky if we get to one. Fall and winter means a kicked-up schedule that includes tasting events of the non-vino variety. Yep, always looking for the bright side to the cold weather. One event we jumped at (you need to reserve space) was a tasting of Saxtons River Distillery’s small-batch, craft-made maple-based liquors aged in American oak. Talk about high quality, unique and tasty.

Check out this place on your next trip to Brattleboro

Local singer/songwriter James Maple- yes, really.

My friend Linda had been pressed into plant caretaker service this summer before we left for Maine. The collection looks better than ever. Now if it can withstand the cold for just a few more weeks…… brrrr.

31! and facing south- sometimes it reads SW.

The lineup: printer, cactus planter circa 2010 and Keurig for Russ

Chester Meeting House

Two comedies in one season

Remember Micky Dolenz? The Monkees- right? Well he was starring in “Comedy is Hard” at the Ivoryton Playhouse with Joyce Dewitt so couldn’t pass up a girls’ night out to see that. While there we saw the house manager, a former co-worker who promptly signed up Cathy and I to usher in Nov at the Chester Meeting House for “Becky’s New Car”.

Dinner with David, Seth and Matt began with a Pu Pu platter

Dinner with Linda and Thom ended with a complimentary pear liqueur

Local pumpkin eaters spent days enjoying this tasty seasonal treat

The cold weather continues to encourage hot meals using cookware I rescued from storage. Eggplant meatballs, a Frugal Gourmet recipe, is an easy dish that results in moist and flavorful meatballs. A copper casserole that I inherited from my parents was the perfect size. Alone or with pasta and a side salad, delicious!!

The end result; my best version yet

Topped with Muenster cheese- gotta be thick slices of just the right size

Local Channel 8 (ABC) weather for the shoreline and inland, one phone set to Clinton and the other to Killingworth (north), we tried (more for fun than anything else) to determine if we were still shoreline or had crossed up to inland with its colder temps and greater likelihood of SNOW.  On Nov 14 you can see we got our answer as the green was rain all day and the blue was (at least that time) sleety, slushy snow-like precipitation.

Appears we are right on the northern border of “shoreline”

By the third week of November, “put up wall photos” made its way onto the list; I thought it was never going to happen. Our lounge (that’s what the light switch says) and galley areas have minimal wall space so we grabbed a few small prints, some sea fans and left the rest in storage.

Our venture into New Haven brought us to Miya’s Sushi where owner Bun Lai has created “sushi for the masses”- as well as a mind-boggling array of sushi for those who can spend just a bit more. This is not the type of restaurant we’d ever set foot in if not for someone holding our hand. So thank you to Cathy and PJ and kudos to Russ for bravely ordering and eating sushi. The chopsticks were another story. 🙂

The cover of Miya’s lengthy menu hints at the delightfully described choices within

Plate: California Roll Royale and Romping with the Goats

Romping: whole wheat tempura-fried tilapia, papaya, goat cheese, and African spices
Invented by Maasai chefs of Kenyan sushi bars.

California Roll Royale:
Maryland blue crab meat and sliced avocado, drizzled with curry sauce

The sake was cold which surprised me as I thought sake was usually served warm. Each couple shared a bottle and while I can’t recall the exact name, one was something along the lines of “Emerald Witches Lips”.

Now if we could just muster up a bit of black magic to make the white magic (snooooooow) vanish before dumping on us Wednesday (sorry kids), this mom would be greatly relieved. Can a broom be used in lieu of a shovel? it worked as a rake. Maybe we could shuffle it off to Buffalo. 🙂