The land of ice cream, lobster and lighthouses

We have had quite a few rainy days here during this first week of summer vacation and we were itching to get out of the house.   Once the rain cleared, we decided to take a drive to York, Maine to see the beautiful Nubble Light and have some delicious ice cream.  Two things we always have to do when in New England!  Lobster was not a part of this particular evening but my siblings did have their fair share.  I do not partake in eating lobster but I do enjoy watching my family get excited to devour this New England treat.  Can you say, "lobstah?"

Lake Winnipesaukee

For the past few years I have been lucky enough to spend a day or two of each summer on Lake Winnipesaukeee in New Hampshire.  It is the largest lake in New Hampshire and it is beautiful. My cousin, Mark and his wife, Nancy own a 38 foot boat that they live on each summer. The rest of the year they live in Florida. Tan all year round!  Lol.
They welcome everyone on their boat to enjoy their summer lifestyle.  I have brought different groups of friends with me and everyone of them have said that their day on the lake with Mark and Nancy has been the highlight of their summer.  Now that tells you how special Lake Winnipesaukeee can be with such generous hosts!  Thanks, Mark and Nancy!!

Father's Day

So it has been a couple of days.  Relaxing and visiting family has been a priority.  On Sunday we had a few guests over for lunch.  One being my Dad's childhood friend, Richard Ferry.  As my Dad always said, "they have been friends since the days in the sandbox."  When my dad was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (a form of cancer) in 2008, we were all crushed by the news.  The doctor said he had about 1-2 years.  When Richard found out, he made it his mission to see my dad as often as possible.   At the time, both my Dad and Richard were 77 years old.  Richard lives in Florida and is a CEO of a pharmaceutical company that makes perfumes, sunscreens and Chapstick type products.  He is very busy. At the same time, Richard's wife was very ill. She passed in late fall of 2008.
He came out to California seven times over the year and a half span that my dad was ill. We saw the true friendship between my dad and Richard and heard many amazing stories of childhood in Boston.  Stories we had never heard before and will always remember thanks to Richard.
Since my father's passing in June of 2010 we have all stayed in touch with Richard and even have gotten to know his family who all live in New England.  Some in New Hampshire and some on Martha's Vineyard.  We have been taken in like we have known each other our whole lives.  That is because Richard has talked about his friend, Don, his entire lifetime.  The Ferry family know so much about my Dad, it is like they all knew him.  We are grateful for the love.
Richard continues to run his company in Florida at 84 years young and has even taken up marathon running! He was in Boston this past weekend and offered to drive to Rye to see us. We had a lovely visit.
On Father's Day.

Fluffernutter, anyone?

Growing up in California as kids we missed out on a special treat known as a "fluffernutter."
When my sister and I were young teens we were lucky enough to go back east a few times during the summer.  That was when we were introduced to the goodness of marshmallow Fluff.  Once our cousins showed us that you could make a sandwich with peanut butter and fluff, we were hooked! Tasty deliciousness for lunch is all we ever wanted after being introduced to a "fluffernutter." Who needs peanut butter and jelly when you can have a fluffernutter? On this trip we have not purchased any Fluff but I may just bring some home to share.

No more red-eyes for me

Okay, so remind me never to take a red-eye again, will you?  I was a zombie most of the day. We did manage to get in a quick stroll through the North End of Boston. The North End is a well known Italian neighborhood in Boston.  Lots of delicious restaurants and tasty bakeries. The most famous bakery in the neighborhood is Mike's Pastry.www.northendboston.com

 This place has a minimum of an hour wait out the door every time I come to Boston. Saturday morning we walked right in. I could not believe it!  So of course I had to buy some cannoli!  We were going to my aunt and uncle's house for dinner, so these were the perfect dessert. They were gone in seconds!www.mikespastry.com
Once we left Boston, we drove up to Rye, New Hampshire to take a nap at my aunt's house because we just could not rally.  Later in the day, we checked into our rental house and enjoyed dinner with my family.  We had a wonderful visit and plan to do more in the week to come. We sure were happy to get a good night's sleep.

All day Sunday it rained. Leftover Hurricane Bill working its way up the coast. We had a relaxing day visiting with more family and enjoying stories that we have not heard in years past. The best was finding out that we missed out on some of the Spreckels Sugar fortune!! Some fancy lawyers came to Boston from San Francisco and had my great grandfather sign off on some paperwork that seemed "suspect."   My grandmother always told my Mom and her siblings that we "missed out on the sugar boat!" That is some family history that I will be researching soon!  We even found out that Sharpe Park in Pacifica is part of the same family branch!  You learn something new everyday. Who knows... could just be some crazy family folklore.

So, tomorrow we are spending the day on Lake Winnepausakee in New Hampshire.  My cousin, Mark and his wife, Nancy live on the lake all summer so we will have a lovely day on the lake to be sure.  Hurricane Bill has left the area!

Vacation is just days away....

With less than a week to go, I am experimenting with blogging with either my phone or iPad.  I think my phone will be easiest to use. I really don't want to lug my heavy computer for 7 weeks of travel! I am so looking forward to sticking my toes in the sand and the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.  A few days in a reading workshop this week and then I am off! More posts to follow very soon.