Samantha J Day.com

Leaving at 10am we set off to Cherry Hills RV Park in Maryland (I still struggle to pronounce this correctly) as it was the closest one to Washington DC.

We finally arrived at the camp ground around 9pm at night, exhausted but happy to have such a bulk of our trip over.

That evening Kevins dad called, he was expressing a concern about us using the Metro (train). Now, while I adore my Father in Law a great deal, he does have a tendency to over worry about EVERYTHING. He would be perfectly happy if Kevin and I were wrapped in bubble wrap and never left the house, cept for the fear that it would slow us down if there was a fire. He's a great man, I love him to bits, but I struggle to cope with this level of worry.

Anyway, we assured him I wouldn't go on the metro alone and we would only go during the day, as a means of compromise.

Typically, that evening there was a 20 man drunken brawl on the Metro, where several people were injured thus completely confirming my Father in Laws fears.

Not to be put off, the next day we still took the train into the city, just feeling slightly guilty that the Father in Law was worried sick about us.

We got into the city around 11am, and we should of gone earlier really. It was a baking hot day, and so much to see and do.

First we went to Capital Building and then onto the Botanical Gardens. We toured the National Museum of the American Indian and enjoyed the many of the small sculpture gardens spotted around. We spend some time in the Art Gallery before I tied a wish on a Wishing Tree. Checked out the Hope Diamond at the National Museum of Natural History (missed so much of this place because despite the signs outside saying it closed at 7, it actually closed at 5.30 ;( ) before heading up the side of the reflecting pond to see The Lincoln Memorial, turning round to enjoy a view of The Washington Monument. We then headed back down the reflecting pool and stopped at the World War 2 Memorial for a quick paddle to sooth our aching feet. Hot and tired we headed back to the train station around 7pm via the White House.

I really wished we had more time, I missed out on so much to see, but I didn't want to take the trip into the city alone and Kevin had so much work on he couldn't miss another day.

Plus ... Someone had just threatened to blow up the Metro !

I spent the next two days drunk and sat by the pool .... FANTASTIC!

Sad to be leaving Maine, but excited for the next part of our adventure we travelled south to Cape Cod on the 3rd August.

We stayed at a small town called Sandwich just on the North West coast of the peninsula.

Our first full day had me explore the town.

My first stop was Sandwich Glassworks. While I can't say I'm all that interested in glass I thought the museum was pretty good. Not only did they have a demonstration (lasts about 20 mins and was really quite informative and fun) but they really had made an effort to introduce you to the people behind the Sandwich Glassworks and bring them to life beyond the usual poster board of details.

By far my favorite part of the museum was the "From 60,000 miles away - The Glass Galaxies of Josh Simpson" exhibit. His planets are AWESOME!!!!! Large round spheres of glass that contain a world of wonder, colour and shape. Its like your looking under the sea at corals and marine life. If I'd had a spare few thousand to drop I would of bought some of his work.

After the Glassworks I headed over to Hoxie House, Cape Cods oldest recorded house (so they claim, although this is disputed).

Its a small house but had two members of staff so I ended up with quite a complete guided tour. My tour guide knew everything about the house, and while I wasn't quite wanting to spend as long as I did there, I found it quite fascinating to discover how the first settlers lived, how they ate, bathed (or didn't) and worked.

After Hoxie House I headed down the Dexter Grist Mill (its within a 5 min walking distance). The Mill was busy and I'd come in mid tour so I didn't really spend much time inside. Instead I decided to just wander around outside the property and take photos.

One thing worth mentioning is that the Mill still functions and you can buy flour ground there at the Mill. I think if I enjoyed cooking more, it would of been pretty neat to pick some up.

My final stop for the day was "Thornton W. Burgess Society" museum. Can't say I found it all that interesting, or the staff particularly friendly. Maybe if I'd had kids it would of been more fun. I never read Peter Rabbit as a kid :/

.

The net day Kevin took a day off and joined me in a trip to Nantucket. Yes, turns out its a real place and not just a made up for limericks!

We got up early for our 10am ferry crossing, but unfortunately got completely lost in Hyannis confusing one way road system, and ended up missing the ferry by 20 mins. Annoyed as we were, it did give us the perfect opportunity to head into the the town of Hyannis itself.

It started to rain shortly after we arrived (another good reason not to be stuck on a ferry) so we found an british style pub where I enjoyed a glass of stella (or two) and some really well made Fish and Chips.

Afterwards we wandered down to a scrapbooking store I had noticed on the way in.

I was in hoggs heaven - The scrapbooking store was independently run, and was the perfect store - so many things I wanted! I managed to walk out of there after spending close to $300!!!!!! (mainly on my very expensive Copic Markers as they had so many colours I didn't have). I could of easily spent twice that amount, and really regret not going back before we left Cape Cod.

At 1pm we headed back to the port and took our ferry over to Nantucket. The journey takes about an hour, and although by this the sun had come out, as soon as we got out to sea the fog and cold hit us.

Nantucket is a very pretty island, quite preserved in its historical traditions. We had a wander around, did some more shopping *CHING CHING CHING* before having another bite to eat and a couple more beers.

We caught the 6pm ferry home.

The rest of the my trip was spent walking the dogs around Peters Pond RV Resort (our campground) and catching up on my chores.

While I didn't do any swimming on my trip, I was very very proud of Oliver who managed to come into the lake with me, and tried his hand at some swimming himself (mainly to chase the ducks on the water but still ...).

While I wasn't a huge fan of Cape Cod, the weather was unpredictable while we stayed is I think is the main reason for my disappointment (Plus I was still blue from having to leave Maine), I do think its a great place to visit at least once. There was plenty of historical things to do that I missed out on, and I think it would make a great family vacation spot.

Gutted I didn't get a chance to visit Boston thou :( Next time ...

Finally, we are on our way to Maine to meet my Uncle and his family, all of which I haven't seen in 13 years.

Leaving Massachusetts, we drove thru New Hampshire before arriving near Camden around 4pm.

I was so excited to see Stephen again, but also a little nervous. I hadn't seen him or his wife Janis in many years. What if they didn't like me? What if I didn't like them?

Fortunately, I had no need to worry at all. My Maine family are AMAZING.

Stephen I've always been fond of since I was a little girl, Janis is a beautiful smart woman with amazing taste in wine and shoes, the two girls Keira and Quinn are smart, beautiful and incredibly grounded young ladies, they seem confident without being cocky and know their own minds well - who could ask for more!

The evening we arrived we headed into downtown Camden (a 10 min walk from their house) and ate at a restaurant on the harbor.

If the beautiful landscape hadn't already made me fall in love with the place, the beauty of the harbor did.

We ate dinner (I had Mussels) and then went for a walk around the town.

Camden is such a quaint little town, it is big enough to have everything you need, but still small enough to be friendly and warm.

By the end of the first night here I was so deeply in love with the place that I am seriously reconsidering my requirements for Kevin and I's perfect home (ie somewhere with a light winter, unlike Maine).

After a long days driving I was a little worn out, so made my goodbyes and promised to be back in the morning to go boating with the family.

The next morning Quinn, Stephen, Janis and myself headed out to a huge lake filled with lots of small island that you can moor your boat at and enjoy the picnic areas provided. Unfortunately Keira wasn't feeling to well and couldn't join us however Jessy James (the dog) came along for the ride.

I don't think I can use words to express how stunning the Maine landscape is. The way the rock just bursts out of the landscape, the greenery of the flora and fauna, the way the roads twist and turn like the english countryside. I was having a love affair with the landscape and I didn't want to leave.

Kevin had other thoughts on his mind .... Because we knew we were going to be staying a few days we ordered some "sway bars" for the RV. After reading and researching into the problem he was having, these "sway bars" were supposed to make his driving experience 100% improved. We ordered them and the company assured us we would get them by Thurs.

Thurs came and we had no sway bars .... On friday the UPS website told us that they would arrive on Monday.

Now here comes the problem, Lobster fest was coming up and every RV park, Hotel, Motel and Bed & Breakfast for miles around was booked up. We were supposed to leave on the Friday, and no where had any space!!!!

Fortunately Camden Hills Camp ground where we were staying pulled out all the stops, did some re directing and some re arranging and managed to allow us to stay the weekend.

I must also send my love to the people at Camden Hills, they were amazing. The campground was perfect, busy but still the lots were large enough that you didn't feel boxed in. The pool was the perfect temperature (chilly when you enter but warm as soon as you got your shoulders under) and I met so many great people there. I highly recommend them to anyone who is passing thru Camdem.

My uncle Stephen was great at keeping me entertained while we waited and took Quinn and I (Kierra was babysitting) out on the lake again. This time their favorite spot was free!

I can see why this spot was their favorite, a large beach made out of ledge (rock) that faced the sun.

Stephen and I enjoyed a bottle of wine and then we all headed into the lake to cool off.

You can see the videos I took of the day a few posts down.

Wine was becoming a theme for the holiday, along with a new term Stephen introduced me to as "breakfast beer".

In one of the European countries Stephen has visited (and I'm pretty sure he's visited them all in his youth) he came across a country (I want to say Germany but I can't be sure) that had beers of many different levels of alcohol. The weakest being "breakfast beer". We felt this perfectly described the "Budweiser Select 55" that I tend to drink these days. Its a light, low calorie beer, that you can pretty much drink all day long and not get drunk off. Its just perfect for my European drinking habits in a American community *wink*.

Anyway, Janis and I had discovered a local wine at a wine testing we had been to a few days before, and as the wine house was right in between the campground and their home, obviously made sense to pick up a bottle or two every time I went to visit. This along with breakfast beer became a recurring theme in my trip to Maine :)

After Stephen, Quinn and I had been boating, Stephen invited me back to his house for a meal of Lobster and Steak.

Now I've had Lobster before, but not a whole one (ie just lobster meat, not the whole experience of eating lobster).

I arrived to find several live lobster on the kitchen table.

And I have to say they were delicious ! *grins*

Not only was the lobster and steak absolutely amazing, but I actually enjoyed Sweetcorn (corn) for the first time ever!!!! I'm not a huge fan of corn, but I was blown away with how tasty the local corn was.

The next day I took the girls shopping, and it wasn't till we were out of the house and walking down the street that the girls informed me that a spending limited has been enforced. Apparently, to ensure the girls wouldn't take advantage of me there mum, Janis, had told them that I could only spend $20 a piece on the girls and they would be in trouble if I spent any more.

Obviously I had to respect Janis's wishes, but I'm not the sort of lady thats gonna be told what she can spend ... so the very next day, before we were all due to go out on the boat yet again I sneaked into town and bought the girls extra gifts that I had seen them coveting the day before.

I know its naughty of me to go against mothers wishes, but a) dont tell me what I can spend, and b) I haven't sent the girls a birthday or christmas present since they were born and honestly am far too lazy to promise I will do in the future. I'd much rather just sooper spoil them when I can see them and see the reactions on their faces.

To be fair Janis was just worried that the girls were going to take advantage, I dont blame her in the slightest (well maybe a little for trying to control my spending - I dont even let Kevin do that *laughs*) - her concerns came from the right place.

Anyway, now Keira had a pretty dress and Quinn had a massive Ugly Doll.

The next day, I managed to drag Kevin out of the RV (he's been working most of the time I've been off having fun, Bless him) and we went to visit the plot of land where Stephen (who is a carpenter) is building his own house.

Kevin and I are plan to buy a plot of land and build our own house one day. This is half the reason we have the RV, so we can tour the USA and decide where our perfect house should be.

With this in mind we were very curious to find out about Stephens plans, and ideas and experiences.

Kevin left and the rest of us went back to the Island.

My mothers birthday had just gone, so we all called her up and wished her a happy birthday and catch up on the gossip

My last evening in Maine was a mixture of joy and sadness. My time in Maine had been amazing, love for my new found family, the connection of a new female friend (Janis), the pride I had knowing my family were amazing, all coupled with the fact I was having to leave them and wont see them again for another year at least (I hope to be back in Maine in September 2011).

I couldn't of asked for a more perfect break.

Our next trip took us to Massachusetts.

I have to say I was disappointed with Kings. The staff were sooper friendly and sweet, the campground was beautifully situated on a lake, and they had a little platform on the lake for the kids to swim out and play on but the camp ground itself was messy and cluttered. I will give them props for being the first camp ground we had stayed in that had recycling bins, although they charged $1 per bag of general trash.

Again we only stayed a couple of nights here, I was keen to get to Maine!

The driving was starting to take its toll on Kevin, there was something wrong with the RV and it was becoming increasingly difficult to steer. This meant that after 6 hrs of driving Kevin ached all over his shoulders and back. We realised something needed to be done, but had to wait till we were in a spot long enough to do repairs.

With this in mind we didn't want any more long drives, so just headed across New York for our next trip.

We found ourselves in the tiny town of Poland.

Jacob was exhausted by the travel too, so he settled down with a bottle of beer while Kevin did some fluid checks.

Meanwhile I went to explore the camp ground. The camp ground have a strong railway feel, a small caboose was being used as an ice cream shop, and there was the most adorable road train that I assume they did camp ground tours on (I've seen this a lot in camp grounds, tractor pulls or something to keep the kids entertained for half an hour).

West Canada Creek campgrounds was a really nice, kid friendly park, but we were on a mission to get to Maine as soon as possible and get the van fixed so we only stayed a couple of nights before moving on to Massachusetts.

14th July - 18th July

Driving East through Pennsylvania, and then heading North up towards Buffalo, NY the scenery began to change. After driving through hours and hours of flat prairie land we arrived in heavily wooded, hilly, rocky and exceedingly beautiful country side. I was pleasantly surprised how much I loved New York.

We got up early the next day and crossed over the Canadian boarder to visit Niagara Falls.

Lots of fun was had by the falls, I got totally soaked on the Maid of the Mist tour, but soon dried off in the day time sun.

We left Canada, and headed over to a building that had caught my eye when we were heading to the falls. Turned out to be an Indian Casino, so we decided to have lunch there before heading back home.

The last two days I just spent hanging around the campground. Branches of Niagara had only been open six weeks when we arrived, everything looked and smelt new. The campground was quiet and will be stunning once the landscaping grows in. It had a HUGE man made lake with boating and fishing, and a lovely swimming pool that I worked on my tan beside.

On our last day I met Rick, a local photographer who I enjoyed a couple of early evening cocktails with. Very pleasant company.

Grand Island was a great place to visit, but I was eager to head onwards.

10th July - 14th July

At last, a real trip!

We left Marengo around 10am, heading for a campground in Perrysburg, Ohio that was just outside Toledo.

We stayed at the KOA campground.

KOA has a pretty good reputation and we were not disappointed, pool, wooded lots and great staff.

It was a small camp ground thou, which meant my daily walks with the puppies ended up just walking the circuit of the campground three times.

I did meet a lovely woman next to us with two kids and I think a third on the way (I didn't like to ask, I'm always terrified I'll just be commenting on someones weight). Rhonda's husband worked all over the country with the health care system so she took full advantage by traveling with him in the RV over the summer, spending her days entertaining the kids. I think she welcomed another adult to talk to *laughs*.

I thought my RV was pretty swish, but it was nothing compared to theirs. Tiled floors, absolutely HUGE and a TV on the outside of the RV for evening watching!!!!

With Kevin working most days (his days off are the driving days) I've been left to entertain myself. I decided to go on an adventure.

Armed with my iPad (great GPS, and access to Yelp etc) and a smart car I found myself at Toledo Zoo the 2nd day we arrived.

I was really impressed with Toledos Zoo. Most of the enclosures seemed to be very large and suitable for the animal contained within. The animals seemed active and entertained and there was a lot of information about their natural habitat and what "we" can do to preserve these animals in the wild.

All in all a great day out with a responsible message to the kids (and adults alike).

The next day I went into the local town of historical Perrysburg.

I know its bad of me, but I come from York, our history goes back to the Vikings, so I'm a little unimpressed with the American idea of "historical" however, Perrysburg is a beautiful town.

That evening Kevin and I headed back into Perrysburg to visit the Mexican Restaurant (2nd picture in the above block of images). Very simple food, but more than tasty enough.

We had a short romantic walk down by the river, before heading back to camp for an early night. We had a long journey ahead of us to Niagara falls!

There is one final thing I'd like to say about my trip to Ohio.... All the young men I met were attractive, polite and ever so slightly flirtatious without being over the top. Single ladies, I highly recommend Ohio for a hunting ground!

7th July - 10th of July

Following all the problems we had had with the RV, we thought it prudent for our first trip to be somewhere close to home.

We decided on Lehmans Lakeside RV Resort just outside Marengo in McHenry, Il.

A beautiful uncluttered campground, staff were great, the place was clean and the size was perfect for a couple of decent length walks with the puppies.

Fortunately, we hadn't forgotten anything and we had no problems with the RV so we felt confident moving on to further afield.

Sent from my iPhone

Ohio	State lines	New York
State lines

Kevins working today so I decided to go for an adventure.

I drove to the local shops then did a Yelp search (tells ya what's
within twenty miles or so) and found Toledos zoo was close by.

Unfortunatly I left my camera in the van so only had my iPhone with me
for photos.

Had lots of fun thou!

~ Samantha Day
~ Currently not at her computer.

U

Momma Polar Bear and her cub	Far far from home	African animals
African animals	Wolves	Burdys
Burdys	Burdys	Monkeys
Monkeys	Monkeys	Gorillas
Hippos	Hippos	Elephants

Our first trip went well and -touch wood- nothing has been forgotten
or broken since we left.

Today we head outa state to Ohio, we haven't been this far east in six
years (well we have flown to Florida but I kinda meant driving).

~ Samantha Day
~ Currently not at her computer.

Justin is a twit!	And we are off ....	Goodbye Marengo!

With the first picture taken from our trip.

~ Samantha Day
~ Currently not at her computer.

And we are off ....

And so is that dude from twighlight.

~ Samantha Day
~ Currently not at her computer.

Justin is a twit!