Welcome to Maine

Look who welcomed us to Maine!

 Of course we had lobster for dinner....

I Love Thousand Islands!

This is our first time to visit this area and I hope it won't be our last. The people we've met have been welcoming, neighborly and full of information. It is understandable why so many New Yorkers have chosen Thousand Islands for their summer retreat. 

 I would never have dreamed a river could have such translucent water as the St. Lawrence River. The island residents even use the remarkably clean river water in their homes, after light filtration.

The quaint villages of Alexandria Bay and Clayton have fascinating shops, locally owned restaurants and charming homes dating back to the turn of the last century.  I could wander the streets, admiring the homes for several more weeks. 

 We took the Two Nation Tour which was one of several choices at Uncle Sam Boat Tours. Our tour director was a native of the area, living on one of the islands. He shared so much information and history I wish I had used a voice recorder. The tour included Millionaire Row and even a tiny man-made island with a small cottage built there. Our last stop on the tour was Boldt Castle.

I had read the history of Boldt Castle before arriving so I knew George C. Boldt built the castle as a display of his love for his wife, Louise. When she died suddenly, just before the completion of the castle, he abandoned the construction and never returned. The castle and other stone buildings sat abandoned for 73 years until the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the castle of Heart Island. The revenue from tours is used to restore and improve the castle and other buildings. It wasn't until I entered the spectacular ballroom, which never hosted even one grand soiree, that I perceived the unquestionable sadness of this love story.  

Niagara Falls

Tuesday was a travel day for us. We left Cleveland behind and Niagara County RV Resort was our destination. After checking in at NCRR we headed out to Niagara Falls. We wandered around taking in the siights and sounds of the falls and the many, many tour groups.  We enjoyed dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, a first for us, then went back to the falls to see the lights,

Wednesday was spent in Canada. The views of the falls were spectacular from the observation deck of the Skylon Tower and lunch there was scrumptious!  

Today we traveled again! This time our destination is the Thousand Islands area of New York where we are staying at Thousand Islands Campgrounbd in Clayton. Everyone here is very friendly and tomorrow we'll go out to see the sights here along the Saint Lawrence River. 

Cleveland Rocks!

The summer adventure has begun in Cleveland. We met Dave and Linda at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds where we setup our motorhomes to stay a couple of nights. Dinner last night was at a local place, Brew Garden, in Berea, Ohio. The food was delicious and there was live music. Today we visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We listened to music and learned about many rock and roll artists.

While at Brew Garden we could have charged our cell phones! Will Cell Juicers be in every restaurant, mall, or on street corners?

Painting With Bridgette

Tuesday evening nine ladies painted abstract Santas with Bridgette at her Arte Vino studio. Everyone followed the same directions, but left with completely different paintings. They had so much fun they suggested having a monthly painting date. 

The Cottage

In my last post I wrote about getting the cottage setup. The cottage is actually a travel trailer which is known as a Cedar Creek Cottage. Several friends have been wondering where the pictures have been, so today I have a few pictures to share with you of our little home in Okeechobee, Florida at Silver Palms RV Resort.

The first picture was taken at our neighbor's lot across the lake from us.

A closer view of our lot.

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All of this and a fireplace and dishwasher, too

A king-size bed

We Made It!

We arrived at Silver Palms RV Resort  last Monday ahead of our cottage. Our neighbor graciously allowed us to sleep in his cabana/ guest room. The cottage was setup Tuesday morning just minutes before the rain began. We spent the entire week wiping out cabinets and drawers, lining them with shelf paper and finding the perfect spot for everything.

Saturday we enjoyed a delightful evening and delicious meal prepared at the clubhouse by The Tin Fish. The group was small which allowed us to chat with everyone.

As this week draws to an end, we are just about finished getting things pulled together. Today the steps were delivered and set in place. Tomorrow the vent covers will be installed. That will leave installing the screen door when it arrives.