Blogs from Middleboro, Massachusetts, United States, North America - page 2

Advertisement


...and another trip to Plymouth. This time to hopefully meet up with more Houlihan cousins. Mike left a phone message about a week ago explaining who he was and who he was trying to reach. The voice on the outgoing message sounded too old to be either cousin, but he left the message anyway. The cousins live in the lower half of a duplex. Maybe if the phone belonged to the upper apartment, they'd pass along the message. He never heard back from them so today we took the chance and headed to Plymouth. We made our way to the main street that runs along the waterfront and, of course, turned the wrong way. We should have turned away from downtown. Around the block we go...sort of. At one point in our meandering I turned to ... read more
Cousin Cindy


…Bob snagged Mike to help him at the Nemasket Hill Cemetery. Mike actually volunteered, but Bob didn’t hesitate to take him up on it. While they toiled away mowing, weed-eating and filling holes, Kathy and I ran errands. On our way home from her errands, we drove by the cemetery to see how the work was going. They were nearly finished. Bob appreciated Mike’s help. They got so much accomplished. Mike was a very useful engine. Our schedule this week isn’t nearly as packed with outings as the last two were. We’re doing more “everyday” activities and just hanging out at home. I get the feeling the people around us are worried we’ll get bored if we’re not going and doing, but honestly I like the down time. It also gives me big chunks of time ... read more


…Mike volunteered to go to Kathy’s daughter Amy’s house to wait for the delivery of a new clothes dryer so Kathy and I could keep our breakfast date with Aunt Mary Jane. They and Carol meet for breakfast once each month. Carol wasn’t feeling well this morning so she opted out. Breakfast was leisurely and delicious. Today we were going to try to find Uncle John and Aunt Della. When we were here in 2006 they lived in a condo. Hopefully they’re still there. Mike remembered the name of the condo complex but not how to get to it. It took just a bit of a Google search to find out exactly WHERE “there” was. Off we go. At the condos we were faced with half a dozen separate buildings, each having eight units. We had ... read more
John and Della's New Digs
Patrick and Marsha
Bridgette and Kaiser


...and I finally met the elusive Cousin Patrick. He and Mike had great fun catching up and reminiscing. While we were there in his garage/man cave his wife, Maureen, and daughter, Bridgette, came home for lunch. They both work at a bank in town. Maureen is a nice woman and seems more than able to keep Patrick in line. Bridgette spent part of her lunch time working with her 9 month old German Sheppard. He’ll be a good dog when she’s got him trained. Patrick also has a couple of hens in a coop around the back of the garage. They lay the biggest eggs I’ve ever seen from a chicken. We had chickens and ducks when I was a kid, but I don’t even remember the duck eggs being this big. He had a carton ... read more
The Barnstable County Fair
WP_20150723_16_32_17_Pro
WP_20150723_14_32_01_Pro


...took us to P'Town (P-town). Kathy, Mike and I went out to Plymouth to a passenger ferry that would take us to Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod. The 90-minute ferry ride takes you across Cape Cod Bay to about the middle of P'Town. From there you can walk to the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum as well as a plethora of shops and eateries. The monument stands 252 feet and is the tallest all-granite structure in the country. It was built to commemorate the first landing of the pilgrims. Five weeks after landing in what is now Provincetown, they sailed across the bay to the much more suitable area of Plymouth. You can't grow many crops in sand. You can climb to the top of the monument via a series of steps and ramps ... read more
Some of the Boats in the Harbor in Plymouth
One of the Views From the Top of the Pilgrim Monument
Kathy's Idea


...was another casual day. We got to drive the Miata again. This time we took it to another cousin's house. The last two times we came to Massachusetts Mike has tried to get in touch with his cousin, Patrick. Both times were unsuccessful. Third time's a charm? We drove to his house (or what we hoped was still his house), Mike went to the door and knocked, one dog barked, the other just looked out the window, nobody answered. Three strikes, you're out? This time we came prepared; we brought paper and a pencil. Mike left a brief note to Patrick asking him to call. We drove around a bit more before heading back to base camp. Later in the afternoon Kathy (cousin), Mike and I drove to Aunt Mary Jane and Uncle Lenny's house for ... read more
WP_20150721_19_22_51_Pro


...laundry day again. Today was just a regular day, doing regular, non-road trip kind of things. These days become important when you're on an extended vacation. It's a time to decompress, not worry about having to be somewhere, catch up on some reading (or blogging). It seems mundane, but I appreciate days like this. Other boring home-type things we did: drove by Lorenzo's to see a car show, but there weren't very many cars--that was a bust, drove to Walmart to look for a vacuum (the one in the trailer sucks at sucking) and sandals for Mike--that was a bust, drove to Bob's (a clothing store) to find sandals for Mike--success! then celebrated at Peaceful Meadows for ice cream--ice cream is always a success. The church in the picture is not far from where we're staying...short ... read more
WP_20150721_12_20_53_Pro
WP_20150721_12_20_10_Pro


...came in like a lamb and left like a lion. Mike's sister Kathy came over to pick us up for more visiting. We drove to visit some Houlihan cousins (Mike and Kathy's mom's side of the family). Lois is one of Jeanette's nieces. She and her husband Henry live in a large, very well-kept 55 and older mobile home park. Their daughter Cathy was there to visit as well. Lois had recently had a repeat knee replacement surgery so she was stuck in her chair with her leg propped up. She was scheduled for physical therapy too soon after the first surgery so it messed everything up. After the second surgery her doctor told her not to do anything until he specifically told her himself. With daytime television not being what it used to be, she ... read more
Concert at Fenway
Dropkick Murphys
Foo Fighters


...was filled with family and food. Oh my gosh there was so much of both. Four generations were there--the fourth is due in three days and September. Mike and Kathy went for a drive down memory lane. I was along for the ride. Kathy drove while Mike navigated around town taking her by the houses, restaurants and neighborhoods of their youth. It was fun listening to their stories and the anecdotes that all started with "Remember when..." Memory Lane was a longer road than anticipated. We were a bit late arriving at the cookout that was essentially planned because the three of us were in town at the same time. As soon as we got out of the car we began pitching in, setting up chairs, getting food set out. Bob began grilling the first batch ... read more
Second Cousins
Bob's Fire Fly
WP_20150718_14_53_32_Pro


...was flashy and yummy. Kathleen recently acquired a Mazda Miata and has been forcing Mike and I to drive it around town. Yes, Mike drives and I'm along for the ride. It's a fun little ride! It's been a while since I've been in a car that made me feel like my butt was scraping the ground like a dog with worms. Quite a difference from the truck we've been in for the past three weeks. Tomorrow there's a family get-together at Bob's house so Mike and I went over today (in the Miata) to help him set up a not-so-easy-up. It's actually his fire fly--a tent he puts up over his campfire when he goes out on a Civil War Reenactment weekend. We set up some tables for all the food, washed the dead spiders ... read more
Pizza at The Central




Tot: 0.128s; Tpl: 0.007s; cc: 7; qc: 70; dbt: 0.0717s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb