Sunday 11/23

Sunday we met Norene & Cory at a Dunkin Donuts for a late breakfast. They have some great breakfast items on the menu that are ok for me. We sat and talked for 2 hours. Norene left for Maine and we headed back to our garage home. When we sat down we both were exhausted. We just relaxed and watched football all afternoon.
The 5th wheel will be ready Monday. We will leave for Lee Mass. Tuesday. Neither of us wanted to travel over a holiday week. Monday, Dec. 1, we will leave for New Jersey to see our friends.

Nov 22

We went down to Laurie's about 11:30. Norene & Corey stayed over Laurie's last night so Krista, Laurie, Norene, etc. all sat around talking. Laurie had a problem with a thermostat in her computer room. We all went to WalMart and got what Gene needed and then stopped at a pizza parlor to pick up pizza to take to Bambi's house. We had never been to Bambi's and Steve's. Three g.g.kids Deja,and Abriana enjoyed pizza with us while Jovi bounced in her chair.
We got back to Laurie's and Cindy came over to play cards. At 10pm we got home really tired. It has been a busy weekend.

Nov. 21

Today is a special day. Gene turned 70,so we celebrated all day. We went to lunch at his favorite restaurant, Burger King, and shared a mushroom swiss and cheese burger, fries and diet coke. Then we went shopping at Linen & Things, going out of business, to pick up some little things we needed. Laurie was having us to dinner and we could not get there until about 7:30. It was a surprise party, so Gene & I went to the movies and saw "The Changeling", a true story set in 1920's about a corrupt police department and a women caught in the fray. A really good movie. Norene, who lives in Maine, called Gene to wish him a happy birthday and I wondered if she was going to make it to Conn. She was helping to make the dinner but was throwing her dad off making him think she was in Maine when she made it to Conn. Complicating, but it all worked out. Five of the kids where there, Norene, Gene, Cindy, Mark and Laurie,along with grandkids Jamie, Mike, Bambi, Krista, and Daniele. Great grandkids Jamie's 5, Bambi's 2, Jackie's 2 new born twins, Jolene's (granddaughter) son Cory and spouses or significant other of Cindy, Gene, Bambi, Jamie. Laurie and Norene made lasagna, salad, bread and Krista made the cake. Bambi's S.O. Steve's BD (28)was Saturday so they made him a cake too.Jolene & Jennifer, two grandkids that live in Maine, made a dvd for Gene. It was great. It was a really great day.

Steelers fan club

Last night we went to the Steelers fan club to watch the Steelers beat the Bengals. I am not impressed with the Steelers offense but they did win 27 to 10. We have tickets to the Steelers game with the Titans on Dec. 21.
It is still frigid cold outside, but we are camped in the garage so last night was actually warm.

Nov 20

Nov. 20
Boy was it cold when we got up this morning, 17degrees. The TV antenna was frozen and Gene had to go up on the roof to loosen it, so we could put it down. On the trip down we saw all these neat ice sculptures on the rocks on the sides of the highway.
We got to the repair shop by 10am. Got settled and left to go to the Old Newgate Prison and Copper Mine. We have been to Conn. and have gone to this place at least 3 times and it has been closed. Guess what? It was closed for winter the end of Oct. From 1773-1827 it was used as a copper mine then as a prison during the civil war. After the civil war it was again mined for copper. You will notice many rock walls in our pictures. New England is noted for its rock walls. As the farmers cleared the fields, they would make a wall around their property with the rocks they uncovered.
We got back to the camper for a snack and to get dressed up in our Steelers’ stuff. We are going to watch the game at a special Steelers’ club.

nov 19

Nov 19
Joan, Gene & I went to Milford, Conn. Joan treated us to great lunch at a very nice restaurant, We found out that a grandson, Mike (one of Laurie’s kids..age24) was in the hospital in Waterbury, Conn. He got ill last week and went to the hospital Saturday and found out he is going to have to have a kidney removed. They will probably move him to a hospital in Hartford. We spent some time with him and he wants FOOD, so after we take the rv for repair we will go and visit him again.
Got home and started packing up for our move tomorrow. We also decided to come back to Gene’s until after Thanksgiving and leave for New Jersey on Sunday or Monday after thanksgiving.

Nov 18
Oooooo my gosh. The pain in our legs, feet, and back was bad and could hardly walk. We got up around 12pm. It is so cold outside (high was 30) so we stayed in until 4 and then went and did our laundry. We got the call that the parts are ready for the rv and we are moving down to Windsor Locks to the repair center. They are letting us stay in the rv to sleep and we will visit family during the day.
I got in touch with our friends Lorraine and Marian were we will be heading next. Not sure if we will stay here for thanksgiving or head to their place next week. It depends on how long it takes to fix our rig.
Tomorrow we will be going to visit with Earl and Joan,

Nov. 17
We decided to go to New York today with Gene & Jackie. Over the weekend we found the train schedule and caught the 9am train from Naugatuck Conn. to New York. We came into Grand Central Station, which is an awesome place. Had a snack and took the subway to the American Museum of Natural History. We took in the show in the Hayden Planetarium, “Cosmic Collisions” about the dynamic formation of our universe. They were also putting together there origami christmas tree. When I worked at the museum a gentlemen from this museum came to Dallas to help up erect a origami tree.
When we left the museum is was just getting dark out but we decide to go over to Central Park across the street from the museum. That was really fun. A woman walking her dog showed us where there was a family of raccoons in a drain. Her dog discovered them.
We then left the park and took the subway back to the big city and walked around Broadway, Time Square, Rockefeller Center, where they are putting up the Christmas tree, etc. We stopped for dinner and by the time we got to Grand Central at 10minutes to 9 for our 9:07 train. I could hardly walk. I’ll bet we walked over 10 miles. A wrench put into the great day was when we were at the Bridgeport station waiting for the train back to Naugatuck. It was 2 hrs late. We did not get home till almost 3am.

Nov 10

Nov 10

I spoke to our granddaughter Andrea, who lives in Chicago. She and her friends went to the Obama rally and said it was awesome & exciting to be there at an historic time.

We went to the library to check email messages and blog. Gene & I then took a long ride to Conn. to see Joan and Earl, Gene’s twin sister and her husband. We drove through many old small towns and stopped when we saw the covered bridge. I took pictures of some of the old houses with dates. As we are riding down the road they are not complete pictures of the houses but just to show some of our friends how old some houses are here. It’s hard to find a house older than the 1900’s in Texas.
Joan made a great dinner and made plans to see them next Wednesday, if nothing else comes up. We have not seen a Sam’s for a few months and could use a restocking of food. Although, there is not a Sam’s but a Costco some where in Conn.
We got home late at night.

8

Nov. 8
How about that Texas Tech team? What great games. We have been watching a lot of college football.

Nov 5

Nov. 5
After a late night last night we slept in this morning. We watched the VIEW, which we have been watching through the campaign. Sorry for those who work and could not watch their political discussions.
We went for a walk and then went to Lee to go to Joe’s Diner where Norman Rockwell photographed the little boy and policeman on a stool that was one of Saturday Evening Post’s covers. Hope pictures turned out. We had an old fashion greasy hamburger and listened to some of the locals talk.( I was sick as a dog after eating the burger:) Our waitress was a Dallas Cowboy fan. We had some interesting conversation about football.
Traveling through the little New England towns we take note of the old houses from the 1700 and 1800’s and wonder if any houses built now will last that long.

Nov 4-A GREAT DAY IN AMERICA

Nov 4
What a day. Gene, our son Gene and I went to Stockbridge, Mass to visit the Norman Rockwell Museum. We first stopped to read about Jacobs Ladder which was the old mountain road up through Becket. We then went to the Rockwell Museum. Norman Rockwell was an amazing illustrator and painter. He became famous with his Saturday Evening Post covers which took advantage of his homey down to earth style along with the work with Boy Scout’s of America, and ads for many pharmacies and retailers. I was taking pictures in the museum when a woman came up to me to say “picture taking is not a loud”. There were not any signs, so I do have some pictures.
We road through the town that was such a part of Norman Rockwell’s paintings. He loved the small town atmosphere and the lives of average people that he photographed or painted.
After going grocery shopping we went home to watch the election results. I was a nervous wreck. We could not face another 4 years of Republican Rule, but thankfully the American people spoke and OBAMA WON. WE STAYED UP TILL 2:30AM REVELING IN THE MOMENT.