Drive and Scribe, Inc. What a wonderful memoir of a great trip! You and Paul need to start a travel business where you will accompany travelers on their trips, Paul will drive and you will blog. Seriously, thanks for sharing your travels with us. I can't wait for your next trip!
A bit more to come . . . Thank you, too ... for reading.
There will be one more entry where we summarize the best and brightest and most recommended, the facts and stats, etc ....
thanks for the memories that's a beautifully written ending. and it's a goopd picture of Paul. Thank you for writing this blog. We enjoyed it, Joe and Katherine
The Real Story The real prairie dogs in this picture were pretty interested in beating Clark up! We were actually afraid they might drag him down a hole! Scott scooped him up and off we went, leaving a few unsalted peanuts behind to make peace.
I love you guys! OK, the pictures of Clark with his family are hilarious! You need to sell the business, go on family trips and become a travel writer. I love you guys!
Children as Educators II I think that travel-peutics is overlooked in the Parent's Handbook (that we never got ) when we had kids. Thanks for the feedback, Mitch and Regina. And thanks to my friend, Carollanne, for the new word: travel-peutics.
Kids grow up We have truly enjoyed your running (driving) commentary and look forward to each installment. I love it when the kids (mind or yours) connect to the world and start to make associations. Even more amazing is when us parents do it too. We are all together in this - no stopping it now. Keep us posted!
Go get 'em girl. It sounds like the educational part of the trip worked on You. You are a different person. But heck, if JJ and Scott can discuss war, perhaps they have been taken to a place of thought not usually reserved for teens.
I hope they will avoid it and seek nice quiet lives as...Quakers, perhaps.
Time for a book on non-violence. Time for JJ to look for a "Job" as a peace warrior when he graduates.
Missoula, MT Missoula must be beautiful! The movie "A River Runs Through It" was filmed there. I'm not sure which was more alluring , the scenery in the movie or it's star, Brad Pitt. (who am I kidding?... Brad Pitt, of course!) We bought our house on N.Cove from Bill Swain and his two sisters. Ellie, one of the sisters, moved to Missoula, MT, where she joined some family members. We exchanged letters for a while. She wrote that it was still as beautiful as she remembered .
about the contest! Hi Guys,
Just to keep the "peace" in your family you may want to check if Joe misspelled the word "Dawg" in the contest. I used that spelling for my submission, P.D / Prairie Dawg! Joe might be mad if he thinks, that you think he can't spell and that could turn ugly!!!! Can't wait to see you!......Andrea D.
And "The Next Comic Standing Award goes to... the Cpnnellys (aka Floonians). Thank you for keeping so many of us entertained throughout your trip. I'm glad to hear that you're off the road for awhile. Tale care and hope to see you all soon!
elated in essex! I am speechless....what an honor! Especially exciting to be apart of a contest where all prizes are subject to change on a whim! Glad to be part of the solution....everyone deserves to have a first and last name. Clark was clearly an important member of the trip, so this is an honor.
Sounds like it has been an amazing trip!
So bring Clark home, where he is sure to enjoy perching on North Cove!
The odds are good but ... I've heard it said that the goods are odd.
These people are Independent (no, the capital I is not a mistake) in a good way. Hmmm .... UConn or Yukon ...
10 single men to 1single female? What the HE** am I doing in Old Saybrook? Rather than UCONN, I'll convince Drew to go to the Yukon...think he'll fall for it? I like your new addition, Ainoolf! If we can come up with a catchy name, will you add the wolverine?
Really enjoying your travel blog. I think you've found your new career! Of course it wouldn't be as entertaining without the boy's stories so it should be a family business. :0
24 Hour Dessert Buffet Well, Lauden, truth is that the boys were very moderate in their eating and Scott mainly left his room only when we were going ashore because he was busy playing computer SCRABBLE! JJ found a number of friends his own age who all have Facebook pages and now he has 8 new best friends for life ... or at least the next month or two.
Princess Cruises has mastered to a gold standard an old-fashioned style of cruising that I can only hope morphs significantly through conscience and good judgement in the near future. They do an excellent job of something that just shouldn't be done anymore.
For my part, I will choose much more carefully in the future.
Oh Kathy :( We tried to warn you of all the evils you would find on that ship but it was hard to do without throwing your spirits. Contrary to popular belief... it is possible to leave alaska with only the beautiful scenery in your head and possibly a post card in hand (to write the occasional dirty comments to your friends).
And I understand the personal guilt trip... i too went through the same thoughts while aboard the Golden Princess. After climbing Mt. Rainier 4 years ago, practicing the "Leave No Trace" hiking ethics... you could imagine the personal guilt i had ... now seeing the mountain miles away in a gazillion ton floating pollution machine
It is hard but i am sure seeing Scott's face at the 24 hour dessert buffet was all worth it. I hope you got that in camera.
Hope you had fun! Tell the 3 boys i say hi and good luck with the rest of your journey.
Never Ending Story Well, I know that all family life is a never ending story but I'm not sure this blog will follow that trajectory into infinity and beyond, to quote a famous movie character (which one was that?).
Checking in Greetings from Connecticut!
Your emails are so hysterical...I just die laughing. Your mutinous crew is typical for the teenager type. As "done with this trip" as they are, they will later remember it as an awesome time with their parents (although these fond memories will take another ten years or so to materialize). I will miss your travel blog when its all over...do you think you could keep it going at home when you get back?
Nanette
Thank you! I really appreciate your comment ... am enjoying this blog! We have been in Alaska with limited communication. Lots of new material is coming soon.
About the Connolly US Road Trip: Welcome. To view our blog entries, scroll to the bottom of this screen. To learn more about us, read this first:
We are a mom (Kathy) and a dad (Paul), and a reluctant 18-year-old son (JJ), and a 15-year-old son in pursuit of Ultimate Scrabble (Scott) who traveled from Connecticut to the West Coast of the US and Alaska and the Yukon in the summer of 2008. For each of us a certain type of quest took place. Paul wanted his hands on the steering wheel all the way across country and back again. For Kathy, this trip was all about getting the kids out of (what she... full info
Connolly US Road Trip
Connolly US Road Trip
Drive and Scribe ...
Let's just hope we never get mixed up and have me behind the wheel while he writes! Thanks, Susan ...