Australia...anyone?

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Stay tuned for Brisbane updates when I return!

Brisbane, Queensland, AU

Wouldn't it be nice to knock one more item off my bucket list...i.e...a stop-over in Bora Bora or Tahiti...on the next trip back from Brisbane in September (Spring Weather)? Hmmmm.....may have to think on that!

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"Roo-mates"

As you can see in these photos it is winter season "down under". Rather over-cast and a bit dreary....yet 75 degrees, not too bad...  My "mates" don't seem to mind it and are willing to pose with just about everyone! I had to lean on them for support after being in transit for almost 40 hours. Singapore Air business class...can't beat it! Well...maybe first class...

The pic below shows Brisbane from the river water taxi tour we took on the last day before heading to the airport.  Nice city....wouldn't mind living there.....

Looks like I get a chance to go back for two months!

See you in September....maybe longer!

Isn't there a song with a title like that?

Memorial 2010 Vacation - "The Bold Coast"

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Vacation in Maine?  Oh yes...but first a Boston wedding to attend....  More to follow....

BOSTON - FRIDAY - DAY ONE
My best bud's daughter was to be married on "RACE DAY", Memorial weekend 2010...so I had to forego the annual trek to Indianapolis for "The 500."  We flew up early Friday, as we had been invited to the Saturday rehearsal dinner, and spent the afternoon touring my old high school, cruising the old neighborhood, and re-visiting old "haunts."  Here are pics of where I grew up, the first house I bought, and the front of "Needham High School" where my fondest "Leave it to Beaver" memories live in hallowed halls. I still keep in touch with my old high buds through our class website and am really looking forward to seeing them all at our next big reunion!
Mum, I'm Home....










My First House...bought for $32k, now worth $700k...

Needham High School.....
Ahhh...the hallowed halls, which have changed so much, I didn't know my way around!

Note the pic of the grave marker in front of the high schol. This grave marker sits under a tree that was planted on the front lawn...a 9/11 victim...a former student of my high school.
September 11, 2001...

The remainder of the evening was spent with old friends. They are still in the same house...still the same...  One day, I hope they will come for a Texas visit.
Fran and Louise....










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BOSTON - SATURDAY - DAY TWO

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
a tale of a fateful trip,
that started from this Boston port, aboard this tiny ship...."

 

"Snoop Dog!" cries the Duck Captain...
"QUACK!" shouts back the tour crowd...

LOL! How easily we were trained by our tour guide!
People on the streets turn and stare. Sometimes they laugh and wave. But, I think it happens so often nowadays, that most locals have become immune...
Captain Ray Beez...

The Boston Duck Tour, Saturday morning, with Captain Ray Beez (rabies...?) was fun and interesting. Captain Ray was hilarious....barking at people walking their dogs, hotel bell captains, people he knew, stray dogs, etc... We had a great time learning about Boston's historical sites. And, we highly recommend it as a tourist spot!

When we came to a stop in the harbor, Captain Ray asked if anyone wanted to drive the duck...
Behind my head, Vickie pointed...indicating my unintentional desire to take the helm. Unrelenting, Captain Ray insisted that I come forward. Here is a pic of me driving the duck...
Captain Bruce....

Here is a pic of the inner Boston Harbor where I drove the "DUWK". The skyscraper on the right is the Prudential Tower, where we next visited the Skywalk Observatory and rented their audio tour, which detailed many points of interest that could be seen in greater Boston and beyond.

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The Wedding....
Out of town guests were invited to the rehearsal dinner. We had maps, a menu, and seating arrangements in hand before going. What a surprise to get a phone call telling us that the ORGINAL location burned to the ground the night before the dinner!  We thought it was a joke....NOT!!!  Have you ever heard anything so bizzare? Fortunately for the groom's folks, they were able to find another establishment around the corner at short notice. 
The wedding ceremony was held in the grape arbor at the Commander's Mansion in Watertown, Massachussetts. The dinner/reception was held inside. Here are a couple of pics of the old arsenal mansion....  Nice wedding....great to see old friends and my second mom....

http://www.commandersmansion.com/history.html










My best bud's older brother...Allen and his girl Judy...










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VACATION TIME!

With Memorial Day the official start of the fried clam eating season, I began to ruminate on how much I loved fried clams. HMMMhh...hmmmm.....  How better to start a vacation?

For years, Victoria and I have exchanged eye rolls over our separate loves of clams versus oysters. It was a "Yankee versus a Southerner" thing....
The only thing on which we could agree was that we both liked our favorites fried....again..."crumbs versus cornmeal"!
But now that Vickie has tried clams....Oysters look out!  You may have been replaced!
She claims that clams actually taste a lot like oysters...but I wouldn't know....cause  I will NEVER put a bottom-dwelling loogee like that in my mouth...fried or not!



WHO HAS THE BEST CLAMS IN NEW ENGLAND?
Ken's Place in Scarborough, Maine.
It's been there for over four decades, serving the BEST puffs of crunchy sweet salinity you've ever had. The clam bellies are coated with your choice of batter or crumbs (of course, CRUMBS is the way to go). I have eaten there on most every vacation trip to Maine. This year, we ate there TWICE, ordering quarts of fried clams as our entree. Just can't get enough!  Here's a link to Ken's.....the best clam house in New England:
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Kens+clams+%26+maine&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Kens+clams+%26&hnear=Maine&cid=10888040312101151665

No fried clam meal is complete without ice cream or frozen custard for dessert. Even bad ice cream tastes great after eating fried clams...with black raspberry being my favorite of all and totally unavailable in Houston, TX.
In Maine, there's an ice cream shop on every corner, as locals are known to eat at their favorite ice cream even during winter blizzards!
"Ben and Jerry's" have nothing on these small independent Maine creameries! I just can't get enough....
Double Dip of Black Raspberry...







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Stop at Camp Owatonna...
My old summer camp has changed a lot, but so little. We walked around the grounds and then took the trail down to Long Lake. I didn't remeber it being such a long way back up!

Watahataho....Owatonna code for "Howdy". In this pic, you can see the chiefs coming in for the big "council Fire."  My old camp buddies are up for a reunion soon....looking forward to seeing the Red and Blue Chiefs again.

This is a waterside pic of Long Lake from the girls camp...Camp Newfound....which is conveniently located next to the boys camp!

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Down East....Bah Hahbuh...We saw the sights while there....Cadillac Mountain, Schoodic Point, Downtown, The Schooner, Lobster Boats, etc...  Here are a few pics of our visit.

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Beachmere Inn...Ogunquit, ME...

This is an ocean view of The Beachmere Inn. We stayed in the room right by the tower on the second floor. You could hear the tides rush in and out all night long....It was a nice room with a wood burning fireplace. The guest book indicated that many couples return year after year to the same room....Excellent accommodations...


The View... from the room....tide's in!

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York Lighthouse - ACCIDENT!Not my idea of fun...yet somehow my fault.
"Move a little more to the left hon so I can get your picture with the lighthouse!"  I called to her as she was looking for sea glass on the rocks above the sand.
So when she looked up, instead of moving to my left, she moved to her left. OOPS!!!
Can you say BROKEN RIGHT ARM?  YIKES.... 

Not a great way to end a vacation.
But better to have a broken arm on the LAST day of vacation rather than the first!  Ok...I'll shut up now.





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"Are you hungry? Would you like a lobster roll for lunch?"The emergency room nurse offered us something to eat after waiting ALL DAY for the orthopedic to show up. Can't say anything bad about York Hospital...they were great.
The lobster roll was delicious....helped to tide us over through the drive back to Boston, back home.