Plan B - On the Road Again

Had we followed Plan A, we'd be in the UK heading for SE Asia. However, after Bill's departure, we felt it would be better to stay close to family and friends and devised Plan B. Jeff flew to Seattle and picked up the car while I finished up Bill's project of getting our family's house in the market in Florida. (Anyone need a nice little home in Florida, our dad built it so it has good bones.) Jeff drove across the country and we rendezvous-ed in beautiful Cleveland to see my sister.

Karen and Olive

Cleveland is a great little city. Karen lives on the westside in Avon Lake and works at American Greetings. It was "take your sister to work afternoon" when I flew in so I got to see the inner AG workings... fun for me!  During our visit, we got to see the fabulous (and free!) Cleveland Art Museum, the Westside Market (rivals Pike Place) and enjoy fall walks in a few gems of the emerald necklace. Mostly it was nice just to be with Karen and her wonder-cat Olive in her sweet, comfy home.

From there we traveled along Lake Erie by Buffalo and headed east into the Adirondacks. Neither of us had been there before and the fall leaves were breathtaking. We stayed near Friend's Lake and did some hiking and biking in the unseasonably warm weather.

Jan and John Stewart and our bonus day on Casco Bay

After a beautiful drive across southern Vermont and New Hampshire, with fall leaves in full glory, it was great to see the water again in Portland, Maine. We came here to visit John and Jan Stewart. John and Jeff went to SIU together "back in the day" and we'd visited them in Nicaragua in March. The Stewarts live along the bayside of Portland and can see their sailboat moored offshore, from their front porch. Sweet. It seems like a good life here in Portland, very walkable, bikeable city with friendly folks and a sense of quirkiness not unlike the other Portland (OR). We had a bonus fall day of 70 degree weather to sail with them on Casco Bay, incredibly beautiful day and another sunny bike ride down to the Cape Elizabeth lighthouse. Lots of laughs and good conversations, as always with them.

We cast again tomorrow for Long Island to visit my of 30 years, Karen Allen, and enjoy time with her. The rest of Plan B includes driving back to Atlanta to visit LuAnne and then flying to Bonaire, in the Netherlands Antilles 11/7-12/5. Once back in the US, we'll drive back to Seattle where we will get to housesit for our housesitters while they travel. Looking forward to visiting friends and family, bonus deal.  In the new year we will fly to Aukland, New Zealand on 1/7/15 and back from Sydney, Australia on 4/27/15. At least that's our plan, we will see what really happens this time!

Rich Lake in the central Adirondacks, photos don't seem to do fall colors justice!