North Dartmouth, Massachusetts Day 5 (GA568)

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 5,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

To view past blogs, scroll to the bottom of this page and use the menu.

I’m currently in my 24th year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click Here

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The motorhome is parked at Shady Acres RV Park in Yuma, Arizona. I may be here until March 4th.

 

 

 

Since my RVing life is changing (see above), I’m starting to re-visit previously visited places. So rather than constantly re-blogging past entries, I’ve decided to do something different.

  In 2011-2013, Mary and I did a 682 day, 12,679 miles in the motorhome and 8,000 miles in the Bronco, circumnavigation of the United States, which I called The Great Adventure. I called it so because other than my oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation in June in Connecticut, I didn’t know where we would be going or when we would be there!

So, unless I do something really different and unusual warranting a new blog entry, I’ll be posting entries from that trip.

This entry was posted August 3, 2013…

 

 

 

The motorhome is parked at my cousin Bob’s and his wife Donna’s home at North Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

 

 

Yesterday was a semi-decent day. With a light cloud cover the high temperature was 81 degrees with 79% humidity. Still too hot and humid for my liking.

 

 

My cousin Bob’s mother, and my aunt Yvonne…long deceased…had a fantastic talent. In addition to being a school teacher and a world traveler…she was a fantastic artist. I remember, as a youngster, being barely able to walk through her home because she had so many huge paintings. Here are four which are in Bob and Donna’s home…

 

 

 

 

 

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you visit Bob and Donna’s home…no one goes hungry! Yesterday we enjoyed a New England Feast!

 

 

 

 

 

We started with large shrimp and cheese and crackers…

 

 

 

 

 

Then we enjoyed a 1 1/4 pound lobster…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lobster remains…

 

 

 

 

 

Then a New England Clam Boil. In this pot are clams, hot dogs, linguisa, sausage, potatoes, and onions…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The corn gets cooked separately…

 

 

 

 

 

The clam boil remains…because we were so full…we were unable to eat…

 

 

 

 

 

Sasha the Cat took the proceedings in stride…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This afternoon we will drive the about five miles to attend the 99th annual Feast of the Blessed Sacrament…the world’s largest Portuguese Feast! You can read all about it by clicking their official website link…
http://portuguesefeast.com/

 

 

New Bedford remains a large fishing port and has always had a large Portuguese presence. You can read about this presence by clicking this link…
http://www.newbedford.com/portuguese.html

 

 

See the photos in tomorrow’s Blog!

 

 

Enjoying visiting with relatives and friends is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

 

 

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Massachusetts. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! MARY WROTE A MANY GREAT BLOGS…SO WHENEVER SHE PUBLISHED A BLOG POSTING THE SAME DAY THAT I DID…YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ HER BLOG BY CLICKING THE BELOW LINK! DO IT NOW!

https://otrwjam.wordpress.com/2013/08/03/how-to-make-a-clam-boil/

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Forecast for today is partly sunny and 65 degrees.

 

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

 

“Let me recommend the best medicine in the world: a long journey, a mild season, through a pleasant country, in easy stages.” –James Madison

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 600 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2019

HOW TO MAKE A CLAM BOIL.

Donna Parker is renowned for her clam boil so I’m sharing her recipe and method. First she scrubbed up about 10 potatoes and 6 pounds of little neck clams. The potatoes go in the bottom of a big corn cooker pot. She covers them with water, i can of beer and arranges the clams on top and sprinkles them lightly with salt to taste and cayenne pepper.

Next she loads individual cheesecloth bags with the meat. Here is 8 hot dogs.

This is 12 breakfast sausage and another bag holds  four linguisa cut into chunks. You can place the meat in the pot without a bag, but it is easier to dish up from the bag, explains Donna. The meat is arranged on top with four vidalia onions and all is set to boil. It takes about 45 minutes from cold start to finish. Donna cooked four ears of corn, broken in half, in a separate pot.

Bob tied a lobster bib on Jim and then the feasting began while the clams boiled.

We visited and snacked on shrimp and crackers and ate lobster because at the Parkers, a clam boil is a feast and you have to have lobster, too.

In 2010 when we visited, Bob taught me how to pet the lobster to put it in yet another giant pot to cook. You stand them on their tails, pet them and they become docile and go into the boiling hot water without thrashing and splashing. These one to one and a quarter pounders cost $3.99 each already cooked. They are soft-shelled. You can crack them open with your fingers. Bob explained that lobster shed their shells and the newly grown shells are still soft. They don’t taste any different.  In may they are caught before shedding.

Bob poured a bit of strawberry bubbly.

Donna loaded individual bowls with clams and for each a cup of the broth.

You load up your plate with potatoes, onion, meat  and corn. Pour on a bit of butter and broth and chow down. The clams you dip in the broth first, (or vinegar if you prefer) then into the butter and enjoy. Yum. The broth is so delicious, you can drink it straight, cup after cup. I got to take some back to the motor home.

I must apologize for no pictures of Donna. I was concentrating so hard on the recipe and getting every step in the process, and busily eating in between, I forgot to take a picture of all of us before I waddled, much too full,  out to the motor home with my containers of broth.

A Pre-Feast…Feast!

The motorhome is parked at my cousin Bob’s and his wife Donna’s home at North Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

Yesterday was a semi-decent day. With a light cloud cover the high temperature was 81 degrees with 79% humidity. Still too hot and humid for my liking.

My cousin Bob’s mother, and my aunt Yvonne…long deceased…had a fantastic talent. In addition to being a school teacher and a world traveler…she was a fantastic artist. I remember, as a youngster, being barely able to walk through her home because she had so many huge paintings. Here are four which are in Bob and Donna’s home…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

When you visit Bob and Donna’s home…no one goes hungry! Yesterday we enjoyed a New England Feast!

We started with large shrimp and cheese and crackers…

Then we enjoyed a 1 1/4 pound lobster…

The lobster remains…

Then a New England Clam Boil. In this pot are clams, hot dogs, linguisa, sausage, potatoes, and onions…

The corn gets cooked separately…

The clam boil remains…because we were so full…we were unable to eat…

Sasha the Cat took the proceedings in stride…

This afternoon we will drive the about five miles to attend the 99th annual Feast of the Blessed Sacrament…the world’s largest Portuguese Feast! You can read all about it by clicking their official website link…
http://portuguesefeast.com/

New Bedford remains a large fishing port and has always had a large Portuguese presence. You can read about this presence by clicking this link…
http://www.newbedford.com/portuguese.html

See the photos in tomorrow’s Blog!

Enjoying visiting with relatives and friends is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Massachusetts. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

I Have A Face-To-Face Meeting With A Fish That Looks Like An Angel!

Jim says:

For me info about me …see below!

Gloucester & Rockport, Massachusetts

Yesterday was…yup…another hot and humid day! But we headed out anyways to visit Gloucester and Rockport.

First stop was at the Fisherman’s Memorial which commemorates Gloucester Fishermen from 1623 to present. According to the info there nearly 1,000 ships and 5,368 fishermen have been lost at sea during that time.

The Gloucester, Massachusetts Fisherman’s Memorial.

Here’s a Wikipedia informational link about the Fisherman’s Memorial…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloucester_Fisherman%27s_Memorial

These lost fishermen were portrayed in the movie The Perfect Storm.

Here’s a Wikipedia informational link about Gloucester…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloucester,_Massachusetts

Here’s a Wikipedia informational link about The Perfect Storm movie…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perfect_Storm_%28film%29

Next stop was at the Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center which presents information about the history of Gloucester fishing and related items. It was a very informative place.

Believe it or not…this is the bottom side of a baby Ray fish looking at me from inside the tank!

Here’s the official Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center website link…
http://www.gloucestermaritimecenter.org

Then a stop at the Crow’s Nest for a couple of beers to cool off from the heat and humidity. The barmaid showed us a photo album of pictures taken during the three weeks the film crew hung out there while filming the move…The Perfect Storm.

The Crow’s Nest is the bar where the fishermen portrayed in the movie The Perfect Storm hung out. It is also the place the cast of the movie The Perfect Storm hung out during the three weeks they were in Gloucester.

Here’s the official Crow’s Nest website link…
http://www.crowsnestgloucester.com/

Next to the Rocky Neck Art Colony in East Gloucester.There are 37 art galleries here. Mary was in her glory here because she just loves art galleries!

Rocky Neck in East Gloucester is America’s oldest working art colony.

Here’s the official Rocky Neck Art Colony website link…
http://www.rockyneckartcolony.org/

Last stop was in the scenic town/harbor of Rockport. Home of Motif#1. While there we enjoyed a nice meal in an air-conditioned restaurant overlooking the harbor. Mary also bought a freshly cooked lobster that she brought back to the motorhome. Then she ate the whole thing!

Motif #1 is a world-famous art and photography image.

Here’s a Wikipedia informational link about Rockport…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockport,_Massachusetts

Here’s a Wikipedia informational link about Motif #1…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motif_Number_1

To see the other 44 photos I took, clock this link…
http://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver/072810#

By time we returned to the motorhome at American Legion Post #113 in Manchester there was a wonderful brisk breeze and the humidity started to come down which made for a delightful evening.

Today we will transit around Boston on Massachusetts Route 128 and arrive in New Bedford once again for the largest Portuguese Feast in the world which runs through the weekend. It’s a lousy job…but somebody’s got to do it! 🙂

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2009
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com

Cape Cod – Day 3

Jim says:

Another full day of wandering…mostly cloudy, high 70’s with high humidity.

First stop…the Cape Cod National Seashore Park Visitors Center at Eastham. This is the primary center to learn about the park. We watched a couple of short movies and visited the nice museum.

Next stop was a few miles north to the location of the site Marconi telegraph site. At this place the first trans-Atlantic telegraph message occurred in 1903. Here’s an informational link about that location…
http://www.stormfax.com/wireless.htm

Mary’s youngest daughter had told her about the Cape Cod Kettle Ponds. They are fresh water ponds which were formed during the ice age and Mary had to see some for herself. During the course of our day she saw several and she took off her shoes and waded into a couple of them.

The cape is only about one mile wide in this area, so we drifted westerly and allowed Mary to get her first view of Cape Cod Bay.

Along the way we went through the small fishing port of Rock Harbor where we bought a couple of live lobsters. You know what happened next! Within an hour we were back to the motorhome and those buggers were in the pot. I think Mary’s become addicted to Lobster!

Here are four photos that I took…

To see the other 40, click this link…
http://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver/CapeCodMA062010#

Here’s the official government website for the Cape Cod National Seashore Park Visitors Center…
http://www.nps.gov/caco/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm

In his book Cape Cod, Henry David Thoreau wrote…
“The seashore is sort of a neutral ground, a most advantageous point from which to contemplate this world”. Well said, Henry!

In other news…
I must recant a statement I made several days ago…that is that in Hyannis the motorhome had reached its most easterly point planned for our current trip. A couple of days ago I located another VFW in Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod, about 50 miles Northeast of Hyannis. We’ll move the motorhome to there today.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2009
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com

A New England Food Feast!

Jim says:

On Saturday…it finally happened…something I had been dreaming of…since the last time I was here in New Bedford in 2007. A New England Food Feast!

The day started with a two-hour heavy-duty thunder and lightning storm.

Despite the rain, we headed out for the seafood market. You do not see seafood markets like this on the west coast.

A little later we went to Sacred Heart Cemetery where I introduced Mary to my mother and father and other aunts, uncles, cousins…all deceased. Most of my relatives are buried here. Because of my advanced age…I only have a few cousins left alive in this area.

It was time to prepare the food. For openers, we enjoyed stuffed quohogs. Then my cousin Bob taught Mary how to put the Lobsters “to sleep” before dropping them into the pot.

Mary’s a quick learner!

My cousin Bob and his wife Donna celebrate Mary’s accomplishments!

Mary shows off her handiwork. By time she finished devouring this critter…there was was little left to be put in the trash. Donna said Mary outdid her father who was an expert at cleaning out a Lobster!

Here’s my Lobster waiting for me!

In addition, we enjoyed a Clam Boil. The clams, hot dogs, sausage, linguisa, potatoes and corn are all cooked together at the same time in a big pot.

By the time we were finished…all of us were saying…”I’m stuffed!

Zoe the cat slept through the whole meal.

One of my favorite memories of living in this area as a young child was the French Meat Pie, a traditional Christmas-time meal. I was telling Mary, Bob and Donna this story and wondered if one might be found this time of year. After our great New England Food Feast…Bob and Donna surprised me with a gift of a French Meat Pie they found at a local bakery.

Thanks Mary, Bob and Donna for everything… I’m a happy camper!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com