Sights I find interesting in Nantucket

Downtown Nantucket or Nantucket Proper, if you will, is paved with cobble stones. And I don't mean the fake ones you can get at Home Depot. These are real, beautiful, impossible-to-drive-quickly-over, watch-where-you-step-or-you-just-might-fall-and-break-your-face stones.


And here are the masters that do it. Looks like back-breaking work.


So, it's near impossible to find a business here. They all look like houses!! There are no giant signs announcing the store or any outdoor advertising. But that's the charm of it all. Most all the houses have cedar shingling, which turns a washed-out gray after weathering a season. And each building may ONLY have white trim.


This pic is for Anita & Lisa...


I hear Nantucket has plenty of Theater. Perhaps the Starlight Theatre & Cafe will be for me...? (Please no! Anything but dinner theater!)

A sunny morning on Nantucket Island

It was a beautiful sunny morning on Nantucket.
Here's a picture of the sunrise on Brian and Christy's street. Like the house in this picture, many of the homes have a "widow's peak" on the roof, where the woman of the house could climb up to watch for the sailors returning (and sometimes not returning) from the sea...

Later, Michael took me for a tour of the island. We went to the "Take It Or Leave It" site, which is where the Islanders drop off their unwanted but still usable items and anyone else can take them. I found a book (of course) and Michael discovered a set of interesting wooden folding chairs. Very cool. I have a feeling we'll be visiting this place a lot.

Then we parked downtown and strolled around the beautiful streets. He pointed out the original 3 red brick buildings built sometime in the 1800s. And we ended up again at the Rose & Crown bar/restaurant, where Michael used to wait tables and where I met Debba - one of Michael's good friends from days past. (NOTE: Click on any picture to enlarge it)

Nantucket! Oh my goodness!!

So...it is Sunday, April 26th, and we are exactly on schedule!! Thank you very mush! Pardon my spelling, but Michael and I just got back from lunsh (it was mostly liquid!) with Michael and Kirk. They are awesome! They both were absolutely thrilled to see Michael again -- after 10 years -- and I had a great time getting to know them a little bit.

We are "On Island" as the locals say...in Nantucket....and staying with Brian and Christy Potter. They have a beautiful house and a beautiful new daughter, named Lily. Thank you Brian and Christy!!! We stayed up last night watching videos and swapping "Michael" stories.... I always say you can tell the character of a man by the company he keeps! And so far...I am duly impressed!

Cheers,
E

We left Pigeon Forge with a BANG!

We left Pigeon Forge with a BANG....a bang in the rear bumper that is. I backed the van straight into a pole. Now, I could easily blame this on my bum left eye, but the fact is I just wasn't looking. (And who puts a giant telephone pole in the middle of a tiny parking lot, anyway?!?) It left a sizable dent in the rear bumper and broke the left taillight lens cover in two. Luckily, we were able to tape the lens cover back on using some clear red tape, and we were on the road again! We'll get that fixed when we get settled in Nantucket.

Aside from the aforementioned, the only other problem we've had with the van is the "Service Engine Soon" light has come on. The car manual states anything from "Emission System Check" to the "Cap on the Fuel Tank Not Sealing Properly" as possible causes. Anyone have a suggestion? I guess we'll take it into a dealer as soon as we can.

Well, we're tired of being on the road and anxious to get to Nantucket. So, we decided drive straight through to New York. That's 16 hours we drove yesterday. And, as it turns out, there is no driving "straight through" New York. We were routed over highways and interchanges and bridges too numerous to count. And we did it with crazy people driving all around us!! It's a good thing we had cash too. The tolls cost us $13! Just to drive on their crappy roads! But I'm not complaining too loudly. We caught a beautiful glimpse of Manhattan all lit up at night.

So....now we are in Hayannis (Cape Cod). We pulled up to the terminal and got a spot on the next available ferry to Nantucket. All in all, I think we're doing pretty darn good.

Best coaster ever?

Dollywood has a couple of the most innovative rides I've ever seen...and I've been to a lot of amusement parks! I have to write a separate post about them, just because they are so cool!

First is the Timber Tower. The video pretty much explains that ride...! In the background of the Timber Tower is the Thunderhead wooden roller coaster, which has won national awards. It's more like a modern steel coaster with all the spins, dives, and fast corners.






Then there is the Mystery Mine. From a distance this just looks like a kiddie ride. But at the very beginning of the ride when it drops you 45 feet straight down a mine shaft, you know that it is not! Several times it stops at the bottom of a mine shaft, then lifts you straight up only to drop you straight back down again. So much fun, we did it twice! If you ask Michael, this is the best coaster ever!!!






Then at the County Fair part of Dollywood is the Dizzy Disk ride. I think they should rename it the Tilt-A-Hurl.




There's more to tell you about Dollywood, but I'm going to stop here. We'll fill you in on the rest the next time we see you. Right now, I'm going to step outside, enjoy the beautiful summer evening, and sip from my Dollywood 2009 Collector's Edition Souvenir Cup.

Dolly! Dolly! DOLLYWOOD!

We rolled into Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, yesterday afternoon and easily found our hotel. We are staying at the Vacation Lodge. If you ever visit Pigeon Forge....do NOT stay at the Vacation Lodge.

This town is not unlike a small Las Vegas. There are tons of themed hotels and attractions clustered along a strip. We spent a lovely evening in our "quaint" hotel and then went to bed excited by the knowledge that we would soon be seeing big blonde wigs, live shows, and roller coasters!!

Dollywood is set up as an old-time mining town, replete with old-fashioned buildings, spinning waterwheels, and discarded mining equipment. She has a museum of costumes from all her movies, like The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias, and 9 to 5. She has a huge display case for all her awards, and it is exhilarating to see so many Grammy Awards, People's Choice Awards, and CMA Awards up close. Also, she has her Coat Of Many Colors on display and the original sheet of notepad paper upon which she scribbled out that incredible song.

Dollywood has so many attractions! They have their own version of Cirque du Soleil, called "Imagine' " by Le Grand Cirque. There is a Bald Eagle Sanctuary and even an authentic steam locomotive built in 1943, that is actually fueled with coal. One of my favorite spots is the rocker park -- a spot filled with rows and rows of wooden rockers for you to take a load off!

Our last day in the sun

Today was our last day at Rich's Bungalow...and boy what a day it was! A storm was promised but not delivered. We slept in, drank coffee, read books, watched TV and went to the beach. It's been great to relax here and recharge our batteries.

A little narrative about my pics in this post. The first is a pic I always take at the beach. I call it my "Beach Self Portrait." Second is an action shot of Michael discovering that even though it may be 78 degrees today it ain't 78 degrees in the water. (I love him!) Third and fourth are pictures of the adorable Village of Baytowne Wharf - a great place for food, coffee, and to take the kids. Last is a shot of the wharf on Choctawhatchee Bay.

Where to next? Dollywood here we come!!

I was feeling Artsy-Fartsy....

These are pics of the place and property:

More pics of the Bungalow

Here are more pics of us at the bungalow. The floors are a beautiful travertine tile and the entire house has the most beautiful wood molding, plus the doors are very tall - like the kind you find in old homes. Very nice.

And below are some action shots of us in the golf cart.

Ahhhhh...Florida

You may have noticed that my posts tend to lag behind by a few days.... I mean, after running around all day long, every day, I've had difficulty finding the energy and a fast enough internet connection to post. Well, no more! As I sit here in this beautiful beach bungalow with the front doors wide open and a warm summer breeze drifting through...I may finally catch up.

Rich -- a co-worker of Anne's -- has graciously provided us his 3-bedroom, 4-bath bungalow for the weekend. We are in Miramar Beach, FL, which is a white-sand beach resort community near Pensacola. So....in my opinion....Rich totally ROCKS!!!

Anne & Scott & Tyler are here as well as Scott's mom, Pat, who is down for a vacation of her own. I'm including pics of this beautiful house, the suped-up golf cart we get to zip around on, and Pat making her delicious and now world-famous chocolate cake. Doesn't get much better than this! I feel quite lucky.

Thankyou for COMMENTING! Keep it coming!

Michael and I LOVE hearing your comments. As much as I love writing this blog, it's nice to know that someone is reading it. And I know that when you post a comment! To post a comment, click on the link in the lower right-hand corner of the post you just finished reading. For instance, at the bottom of this post it says "3 comments." Just click on that link and follow the instructions. If you don't have a google or aol account, you can select "Anonymous" profile instead - just remember to sign your name.

If you don't know how to do this or are having some difficulty with it, let me know. You can email me at formercowboy@yahoo.com

Cheers!
Ernest

Pirates, Politicians, & Voodoo Queens...Oh My!

There was one thing left in New Orleans to see before we headed out for Anne & Scott's. This town is famous for so many things and one of those is the above ground cemeteries. I had seen these in so many movies that I wanted to see one in person.

The history is this. When New Orleans was originally founded it flooded regularly. Residents would wake up in the morning to see their dearly departed uncle Joe floating by. So, they built above ground tombs in their cemeteries. In fact, we drove by one business offering a really great deal on your own Mausoleum! Kind of morbid, right? Well, the cemeteries are really cool and in some spots pretty old. The rows of tombs resemble streets and the burial plots became known as "Cities of the Dead." Pirates, politicians, and voodoo queens are buried in these areas. I had read that the cemeteries can be a prime spot for muggings, since there are so many narrow passageways and places for muggers to hide. We visited the Greenwood Cemetery, which allows you to drive through. Sweet!

Hurricane Katrina's Devastation

Before we left New Orleans we did want to see the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. I wanted to ask the woman at the front desk for directions, but I was worried she might think me insensitive. I asked anyway, and as it turned out she was eager to help us. I guess the citizens of New Orleans believe the more awareness of it the better.

She told us to visit the Lower Ninth Ward. This is the neighborhood formerly occupied by blocks of homes that was completely wiped away when the levee from the industrial canal (fed by the MRGO) blew. That was where you saw pictures of the barge that floated through and landed on houses and a bus. The 17th street canal breach took out Lakeview (and then some). [I have to say thank you, here, to our anonymous commenter for helping me get this straight]

In the picture above you can see the foundation where a home once stood and in the background the newly rebuilt canal wall. The canal wall is easily 20 feet high and sits up on a rise. Just imagine that bursting and all the water rushing out. This part of the town was under 10 feet of water. In fact 80% of New Orleans was flooded. The hotel we stayed at in the French Quarter saw 2 feet of flood water. It is truly shocking to see only a set of front steps where once a family lived and played. And the streets are terrible. I don't know if that's a result of the flooding or just really, really bad maintenance...but there are so many sinkholes and buckles you need a 4x4.

We also drove through several neighborhoods where the now infamous "X" could still be seen. An "X" on a building indicated that it had been searched and described the date it was searched, whether any pets were found dead and whether any people were found dead. We drove past one such house that read, "One Person Dead In Garage."

The Lower Ninth Ward is also the location of the Make It Right Foundation, which is Brad Pitts organization. Here they are building brightly colored and unique-looking buildings, where the first floor is elevated 10feet above the ground. Here are the pics: