Bowdoin

A perfect fall day on campus - college kids throwing frisbees on the quad and a bunch of visitors - although most are at the homecoming game at Whittier Field. I was never a student here, except for that evening FORTRAN class I took sometime in high school, but I sure went to lots of hockey games when Bowdoin was cleaning up in Division 2 in the mid-1970s.

Reid State Park

I'm staying in a motel out on Pleasant street. After coffee, a cinammon roll, and a stroll down at the river, I headed for Popham and then to Reid State Park. I spent the middle part of the day back in Brunswick before going back down to the shore for dinner.

For someone who's vocation is all about shorelines, I guess it's appropriate to note that Reid was sort of my first beach. We grilled burgers and marshmallows. I was never any good at the cold water on the surf side, but we often explored the sand bars and tombolos out to the rocks on the east side.

Androscoggin River

After early morning coffee at the Little Dog, I went down to the river and walked across the bridge. It's just not the same without the smell and the thick brown foam. Later in the day, I checked out the swinging bridge which has been nicely fixed up. I climbed down the bank on the Topsham side and put my hand in the water. I grew up in this town, yet this was the first time I had ever touched the river downstream of New Hampshire. In school, the only attention we paid to the river was making jokes about how dirty it was.

Martha's Vineyard

I left Providence at the crack of dawn so I could make it to Woods Hole and the 8:15 sailing to Vineyard Haven. The rain never materialized, but the day stayed overcast with the exception of a few sun breaks. The bright orange bug offered a great contrast to the gray day.

The excursion to Cape Poge took a bit longer than I might have planned and left me scurrying to get to the Aquinnah at the west end before dark. I watched the sun set from Gay Head, before heading back to Vineyard Haven for dinner at the Black Dog Tavern (the name is a misnomer, as Vineyard Haven is a dry town).












Oak Bluffs
This place reminded me of Seaside, Florida, but then I guess that's the point. I suppose the Seaside folks used Oak Bluffs as their model for a cute coastal village that would appeal to wealthy urban escapees.
















Edgartown
I kept driving around in circles trying to find my way in and out of town. Eventually, I managed to find the lighthouse, chowder on main street, and the Chappaquiddick Ferry.
















Chappaquiddick
A wonderful three-car ferry that makes shuttles every five minutes or so across the narrow harbor entrance. I drove out to the Mytoi Gardens, a pleasant Japanese Garden, while waiting to take the pickup tour out to Cape Poge.
To get out to the Cape, you cross on the Dike Bridge and then follow the dunes and the beach out to the end (yes, for those Kennedy historical buffs, this is that bridge).

Providence

I flew into Logan, hopped the Silver Line to South Station, wandered up to the Boston Common and then down to Quincy Market, then took Amtrak to Providence. The walk from the station to the Biltmore was more challenging than I expected, since at 10:30 the place was crawling with people celebrating the last Waterfire event of the season. The Biltmore had overbooked, so they sent me up to the Rennaissance for the night - a bizarre retrofit of the old Masonic Temple

The conference filled most of the next four days. We missed the Columbus Day parade on Monday, but had a great dinner, with little wait, at Pane E Vino on Atwells. Early mornings were spent exploring the east side of town around the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown, wandering the river down to the hurricane barrier, and getting coffee at Cafe 101.

University of Washington

Two days of meetings at Oceanography offered several chances to admire the big stump that emerged last year following construction of the new genetics and bioengineering building. Modeled after the giant cedars that once might have grown here, and built from cedar 2x6s, I suspect this installation by Brian Tolle (Stronghold, 2007) makes people think just a little bit about how much our landscape has changed in the last couple hundred years.

The sundial on the physics building was 45 minutes off, as best as I could figure.

Icicle Creek

M and D surprised me for my 50th with an overnight at the Sleeping Lady in Leavenworth. This was a great way to get me away from house projects and email and fretting about my role in rescuing Wall Street. I've been here a couple of times, but usually I'm preparing presentations or juggling workshops on how to be a better bureaucrat. This time I could wander the grounds, enjoy the Sunday morning sunshine, listen to the creek and the wind, and wish for a longer weekend.

I spent lots of time sitting on the rock. The rock that was so cold on that crisp morning back in May while the Ospreys were soaring over the creek, but that this week was just right for sitting and pondering the passing stream that had been in the Enchantments just a few hours earlier.

Quite by accident, we discovered that Uncle Bonsai was playing across the meadow Saturday evening and M and I wandered in for the second half of their show while D worked out.

The resort is well stocked with outdoor art - animal sculpture by Tony Angell and Chihuly's icicle (looks more like a Christmas ornament?) and the parade of decorated salmon down near the river.

Fulford

This year we checked out the Rock Salt in Fulford. We liked it so much, we came back the next night with the kids (they're hardly kids anymore) - foregoing our usual visit to Auntie Pesto's in Ganges (which replaced the even better Bouzouki's several years ago). Rock Salt is right at the ferry landing - try the Bangkok Tacos and the Mojitos.

Saltspring Island

Back to Green Acres again for a week that ranged from gray and wet to hot and muggy, but which was enjoyed by all. Last year I spent it with whooping cough (or something with similar symptoms); this year M spent it with a broken toe (or something with similar symptoms); next year we will all be healthy. The TV stayed in the closet - most of the time - which leads to a better week, even if it means missing the Olympics every four years. We got to the Raven Market in Fernwood and to Rock Salt in Fulford, to the Saturday Market in Ganges, and to Get Smart at the Fitz. I visited Beddis Beach one morning before breakfast and managed several visits to Salt Spring Coffee. But mainly, we hung out at the beach and in the boats.

Thunderbird Stadium

This week, Vancouver is hosting the 2008 World Ultimate (and Guts - frisbee dodgeball - clearly a male invention) Championships. I guess it is held every four years, matching the Olympics, but so far, Ultimate hasn't been made official. So no crowds, cheap tickets, and no need to go to Beijing. We swung by UBC returning from fireworks and watched the U.S. womp the Finns in one of the week's early games. And then at the end of the week, on the way to Saltspring, we swung by and watched the Americans (the Sockeye team from Seattle) beat the Japanese in the semifinals.

Vancouver

Every year, we go back to the Sylvia and to English Bay for the fireworks. This year the weather started a little gray but kept getting better all day. A huge crowd, as usual, but we had front row seats, as usual.

The seawall was reopened so we did our regular loop, then D headed off for the room and the TV, while I rented a kayak down at the beach for an hour or two.