theoldwolf

Farmers leave today for Hawaii - many instructions gone over and things should be well in hand. I just hope the animoles don't get sick or require urgent medical attention while they are gone.

Dialup connections profanity blasphemy censored blasphemy grumble snarl yarg

Rain blasphemy profanity snarl yarg censored

Rain. Mud. Dung. Grease. Greenery as far as the eye can see. Injuries upon my hand, where the one-eyed demon pigeon has already vented his fury. Already hunting invisible cows... not helped by the fact that you could almost put this one in your pocket. She's so tiny - Patience is the orphan calf, last daughter of Daisy of blessed memory. She can hide anywhere, and yesterday evening gave Kathy quite a scare before she was located hiding behind a hay bale. She needs to get a bit bigger so we don't worry that she's escaped through a hole in the fence somewhere, or has been carried off by an owl.

This is the farm. Glorious!

Making banana bread tonight.

The days are just packed. I had a delightful visit with my Aunt in Portland - we went to a Thai restaurant and I ate far, far too well. She gave me one of her paintings to take home with me - she's quite an accomplished artist, and has traveled the world extensively in the diplomatic area during her life. It was so nice to see her.

Stopped again in Kennebunk on the way down, did some hunting in the Hope graveyard for a FindAGrave request, and had success. Waved at a friend as I drove past.

Was planning on hooking up with Darc and Gyr of Code Name Hunter fame, but logistical concerns prevented the meetup, but had a nice chat with Matt on the phone. He recommended the No Name restaurant in Boston, and I decided to give it a try. The traffic into the city around 4:00 PM was - as usual - abominable, but I made the most of the time by listening to good things in the car. So when I got to Boston, I got scrod.



It came with buttered garlic toast (two pieces are already missing in the picture) - fries, and a coleslaw that was heavy on the veggies and light on the sauce, unlike the waste that you get served at KFC. The fish was fresh and tasty, the service fast, and the prices extremely reasonable. I give the place 5 stars for honest food with no pretention. Thanks for the recommendation, Gyr!

I teetered out of the restaurant, groaning and belching as is my wont, and headed south for Hartford where I will meet up with Coyoty tomorrow for lunch. Stopped in Newton on the way and took in Angels and Demons, which I enjoyed thoroughly. Although it's a pretty dark story, and we won't say anything about the physics, it's a good ride. And for my money, entirely respectful of Catholicism. The Vatican did well to simply ignore this film, so as to give the media sharks less chum to feed on.

Got into Hartford at 1:00 AM, and found that my Motel 6 had been sold to some other chain, who doesn't keep the same standards - but still better than that abomination in Toledo. It was (relatively) clean, and the room didn't smell bad. The first room they offered me was right next to a drunken party full of the most abominable pigs I have seen - they should be charged to re-do the room when they leave - so I requested another room far, far away from the ruckus.

Took off from Harrisburg this morning and drove to Philly, where we viewed Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. It was amazing to put my hand on bricks that may have been touched by the signers of our nation's founding documents. We feasted upon Philly cheese steaks in the shadow of the statue to Admiral Barry, in the park behind the sacred building, and then headed for New York.

We drove into the city around 2:30 - it was uncanny how little traffic there was on the freeway between Pennsylvania and the city - just when we hit the Lincoln Tunnel did things get a bit congested, but no real slowdown.

Note to self: Stop paying tax dollars to support the interstate highway system. In the East, you're going to get charged again. And again. And again. And the roads will still be abominable. by Mogg's tufted tail, I feel like I spent more on tolls from Chicago to NYC than it cost me in total gasoline expenses from Salt Lake. Yarg. Snarl. Snap.

I got WolfCubIII settled in his residence and we headed down to the Village to dine at Piccolo Angolo, on the corner of Hudson and Jane street. Note to friends: next time you come to the Big Apple, treat yourself to the finest Italian eats in the city. CubIII had an Osso Buco large enough to choke a walrus, but tender enough to melt in your mouth - along with a cannelone in Bolognese sauce. My own self asked for something light, and they brought me a fish - about 16 inches long, and falling off the plate - along with a plate of spaghettini with clams. And of course, the obligatory appetizer, which was a delectably tender polenta with wild mushrooms. groan Belch groan

It has taken me the entire evening to stop feeling like I was about to burst. But what can you do? You can't insult family...

Tomorrow I leave my son to take care of his business matters, and head for Portland to visit my mom's baby sister (a spry 87). On the way, I'll have lunch with my brother who lives in upstate NY, and on the way back down I regret I will have to pick and choose which of my friends and relatives I'll have time to visit. A couple are already locked in... You can't have too many friends, but regretfully one can have too little time... Still, I'm hoping to connect with as many as possible. There's one in particular that I'm keeping my fingers crossed about.

It's late - I'll try to get some more pix up in a day or so.

Honest Weight! No Springs!

But if you ever get to Toledo, never, never stay at the Motel 6 there. Oh, Maumee, pat my bum! I've had uniformly good experiences with Motel 6 all across the country, but this place needs to be burned to the ground, and if I were the franchisor, I would pull my name off this abomination of desolation in a heartbeat. Filthy, uncleaned bathrooms, rooms smelling like wet rats and mold - by the silken breast of Mogg's mother, may I die a thousand deaths before I have to stay in this hellhole.

Now let me tell you how I really feel...

Got settled in another motel down the street which seemed luxurious by comparison.

Other than this temporary descent into madness, the day was good. We stopped for lunch at a Red Lobster and got positively stuffed. That meal held us all the way to midnight, when we got settled in Toledo. We should get to Gettysburg around 1:00 tomorrow, Mogg willing.

After a late start, made it as far as Rock Springs, Wyoming tonight. Motel 6 had one room left... we snagged it, even though it's a smoking room and smells like one - but my son is happy as he's a smoker. You'd think that listening to me cough my lungs up for 24 years would be enough to get him to quit - even though I've been clean for 40 years - but no, the kid has to learn from his own experiences.

Took me about an hour of work with Verizon's tech support to get my new Samsung Omnia phone () working as a modem - needed to get the drivers downloaded and a few settings tweaked. Phat props to Verizon who has not yet outsourced their tech support to Bangahore!

We should get an early start tomorrow and make it at least as far as Chicago, Mogg willing.