Sunday - Flying into Boston

Hello friends & family:
Here we go again! Yesterday Lulu and I boarded Virgin America and headed back east to Boston for the beginning of her junior year at Boston College. As the plane lifted off the ground at LAX, she remarked "It's been a great summer." And indeed it has been, with travels to Maui for our annual family vacation (this time joined by her delightful BF Chris), a summer internship at a Hollywood Entourage-type firm where there was lots of yelling, phone tossing, cupcake buying, and lunches down the street at Joans on Third, and discovering the delights of bargain shopping (my daughter, the Gold Card member at Lohmans). But all good things must come to an end, well actually the good things hopefully will continue... just in a different place (the library). As the plane headed down into Logan airport, suddenly it swooped up and...the pilot announced that he was "taking another go at it" due to a smaller plane coming onto the runway "out of nowhere..."
Lucky for us the weather in Boston is cool and sunny - unlike what we heard from the Morrisseys who were here during the hot and humid hurricane-threatening days.

This year Lulu is living off campus in a big house with 7 girls. We immediately got our rental car and went directly there, as neither of us had actually seen inside of the place. Lucky for us, her roommate's parents had come many days earlier than us "last minute west-coasters" and had taken care of a lot of messy details like getting locks installed on the doors, buying a shower curtain, outfitting the kitchen, ordering a dining room table & chairs, and setting up the all important flat screen tv. Lulu's job was arranging the cable, and she did an excellent job as the tv was working as well as the internet.

We unloaded her two huge suitcases of clothes (her bedroom is on the second floor -but no worries as one of the girl's hockey player boyfriend was lounging about on the first floor and jumped up to help us). The house is a big rambling worn down 2 story wooden building with a kitchen and bathroom (the bathroom is kinda ewww...) on each floor, hardwood floors, windows that kinda open, white walls painted who knows when (except for one of the bedrooms which is bright purple - which got me thinking... if I only had a little more time, maybe a fresh coat of Martha Stewart yellow on Lulu's walls, maybe accompanied by a fresh coat of white for the trim, and some flowery fabric for curtains or draped behind the bed......) OH a BED - that's right - we gotta get one!

After hanging up everything that would fit in the teeny tiny closet, we took inventory on what we needed to buy tomorrow at the various stores such as Ikea (a bed), Bed & Bath (everything), Target (who knows?), and a furniture outlet (a cheap sofa and coffee table...Lulu's assigned area to decorate is the living room Good God how about lamps, an area rug, a coat rack for all those winter coats...my mind swirling we got into the car and drove off to Newton's newly refurbished Marriott Hotel for some rest and relaxation. The tv didn't have Mad Men, but it did have last week's Hung and Entourage so we caught up on those shows while compiling an even longer list of "need to buy"...After a phone call to Bill to check the credit limit on the AMEX, we turned out the lights and struggled to go to sleep as we would keep thinking of something else we had to have, and scrambled for the pen and paper (wastebaskets, hangers, end table...),!!!)

Monday - Labor Day Great Highs and Great Lows!

Woke up this morning very early and reviewed the list. Feeling overwhelmed, I headed straight to the buffet breakfast and had an extra order of bacon as I knew I'd be needing the protein!! Off to wake up lovely Lulu as we want to be at Ikea's doorstep a 10am!

The day started out well enough – the sun was shining and we got directions (easy to understand ones) that pointed us direct south to where “the be all and end all” of college furnishings is located: IKEA. Lulu and I made it there right when it opened and along with every other mom, dad, and ambling teenager we charged through the doors and made a bee line to the furniture department. What a beautiful store – it kinda sucks you in as everything is so fresh and colorful, and the prices sooooo low… but then you have to fight dreamland for the reality of “Can I assemble this”?? Feeling like the answer to that question was a big NO, we moved on across the street to Jordan’s Furniture where we were told there was a whole floor of anything you wanted at huge discount “sample sale” prices.

First stop was the all important Bed department, where in 30 seconds we selected a Queen mattress, boxspring and frame. Feeling flush with excitement at how much we had accomplished and it only was 11am, we headed to the cashier, I waving my AMEX card, and Lulu giving out her address. “What??? Delivery next Wednesday? We need it TODAY!” Apparently every person in Boston is having a bed delivered today – Lulu started in on biting her nails and her brow was definitely furrowed until a light went off in her head “No Problem! Put it on the top of our car and we’ll take it ourselves!!” I reminded her that her room was up a very windy narrow old staircase on the second floor, and oh did you notice my knee is in a brace (more on that later). Undeterred she said “the bed will be in my room today – pay up Mama!”

While the sales assistant went off to finish the paperwork, we went on to the next task at hand – the purchase of a sofa and chairs for the living room. Why is it the kid from California gets put in charge of that room I’ll never know, but as any parent in this position learns quickly, it’s best just to “go with the flow” so we entered a gigantic warehouse where we were surrounded by sofas, ottomans, chairs, rugs… you name it. We cased the room and again in 30 seconds zeroed in on a cozy green sofa and matching chair. Out came my AMEX but…”What? Delivery next week?! We need it TODAY!” This one we couldn’t negotiate our way out of so had to settle for the future date, and from there we drove around the corner to the “Pick up” garage where the bed was awaiting us.

From the corner of my eye, I spot 3 husky Bostonion young fellas standing next to a good sized truck. As they opened the back of the truck, I see it was empty. The store workers lifted a small table into the truck, and… well at this point they COULD have been on their way.

I saw my opening.
I said to Lulu “Get outa the car immediately”. She jumps at my command perhaps thinking someone is stealing her mattress… I, after checking to see if the brace on my left knee was in plain sight, walked a few steps over and said “Oh hello! Are you guys by any chance going in the direction of Boston College?” The guys looked at me, and the driver said “NO we aren’t”. I could have stopped there. I could have, but I did not. I said “Oh we have a bed and mattress that is about to be loaded on the roof of our rental car – but you can see I have a problem with my knee and can’t possibly help my daughter bring it into her apartment.” I paused for effect, pointing to my knee. But they weren’t looking at my knee. They were looking over at Lulu, who was smiling ever so sweetly. One of the guys said, “Oh your daughter is so gorgeous, we’ll drive your furniture wherever you tell us to!!!!”

Next thing you know, the bed was in their truck, the driver handed me his business card “in case we get separated” and off we went for the 45 minute drive up to Chestnut Hill – 2 hours in the opposite direction from their apartment where they were taking their little table! Half way there, Lulu and I got confused on the directions so we called the guy on his cell and he said “Are you kidding me? You're a junior and you don’t know where your college is?” Truly it was DIVINE intervention as God surely sent those “Floor Works Inc. commercial floor contractors aka angels” to help us – next thing you know they are dragging that big mattress & box spring up the stairs pushing & pulling, squeezing & shoving, and “hand me a hammer!” and the frame was set up, the mattresses tossed on top, and off they went! But not before I insisted on a photo to document the moment…and yes, a little cash exchanged hands with great appreciation!!!

This moving in was easy as pie – no problem! The other 7 girls who were Lulu’s roommates had come earlier in the week and brought their dads along to carry, put together, move around, argue with the landlord, etc…spending many days to set up their rooms. Hello, the California girls were getting it done in one day no worries!!!

Feeling emboldened and singing “I am woman hear me roar” we head off to Target where we hear there are dressers and tables “really easy to assemble”. Target is packed but we find the nicest salesman who sells us the very last white 6 drawer dresser and even carries it to the car for us. Maggie from Minnesota, one of Lulu’s roommates says she just assembled her dresser from IKEA last night, and it’s “really easy, plus I’m experienced so I can help you”.

We begin at 5pm… I mention the time as 7 hours later the dresser is assembled that is true. But the drawers do not slide into their openings, the knobs keep falling off, and there is this brown cardboard thing that keeps falling off the inside. As midnight approaches, Lulu declares “ENOUGH”! I assure her even Bill Rock, our HappyHill contractor could not have made that dresser work. “Even Griffy Simon and Zach Scott together” could not have put it together. We are swealtering, have not eaten since lunch, and are just plain mad! Needless to say, the remains of the dresser found its way to the trash!

Lulu spent the night at her house, and I drove back to the Marriott in Newton (as an aside, this hotel was newly renovated and is really nice!). I emailed Lulu and said there will be a dresser in her room tomorrow if I have to steal the one in my hotel room. This seemed to put her at ease, and we both drifted into a fitful sleep…

Tuesday - When in Doubt, Go Where You've Had Success Before!

I woke up refreshed and ready for the challenge of purchasing a dresser for Lulu, dropping it off at her house, and heading off for my mini-vacation in Maine. I was having my coffee in the (newly renovated) Marriott dining room, when a man in a suit, looking somewhat official, passed by. I said “Oh, are you the manager by any chance?” He said “Why yes I am”. I said “Well I think you’ve done such a nice job in redesigning this hotel. And by the way, do you know where I can buy a dresser – a fully assembled dresser – in the next ½ hour?” He says, “Why T.J. Maxx Home Store of course. Did you know nearby Natick is the headquarters of T.J. Maxx, and thus their store is simply spectacular?”

Having been to T.J. Maxx in LA I knew it could be hit or miss, but this was advice definitely worth pursuing, as I remembered there were about 3 different malls out that direction, and one had in it my absolute favorite store on Cape Cod, The Christmas Tree Shops. Not being able to help myself, I went there first, just for a quick look around (Oh Colleen, you may think Newbury Street is where it’s at, but you haven’t been inside The Christmas Tree Shops yet…). As I neared the back of the store, away from all the wonderful Halloween decorations, scarecrows, and huge plastic pumpkins that normally would hold my attention (and has in the past caused me to purchase an additional suitcase from K-Mart), what did I see but the perfect dresser all ready to go! I found the store manager and asked if he could carry it up to the front for me, as due to my bad knee I couldn’t do so myself. “I’m sorry” he says, “That is the floor model and therefore it’s not for sale”. I said “If I bought a new dresser that WAS for sale, would...I...have...to...assemble anything?” “Oh yes, it requires assembly. But it’s so easy!” he says. As he starts to move away, I plant my body in front of him “My daughter spent 7 hours trying to assemble a dresser from Target. I know we should have come here first, but Target was closer to Boston College, where she goes to school”. The manager pauses, he glances this way and that, then hands me a sales slip for $89.00 “I went to Boston College. The dresser is yours”. As I paid up front the lady at the cashier says, “Oh I see there is a nick in the dresser…if I gave you 20% off would you still buy it?” Oh Happy Day!!

But all this took longer than I planned and by now it was almost noon. I headed across the street to visit T.J. Maxx which today was definitely a HIT, purchased a few lovely pieces of decorative art for the walls and two chairs which would go great with the living room décor, and headed back to Lulu’s house. She said she’d meet me on the front steps after her morning class. I only got lost twice getting there, and as I parked the car I saw she had a frown on her face.

The landlord had given the girls strict instructions to always be safe and lock the door as they left for school. Lulu did so, but now her key would not re-open the door. We called her roommate out of class and she came over and her key would not unlock it. They called the landlord, and he said “Oh I forgot to tell you. I gave you all the wrong key yesterday. I’ll be by in 2 hours to give you the right one!” So I sat on her front steps guarding all my recent purchases and needlepointing away, while Lulu went off to class. Finally the landlord showed up and unlocked the door and we moved everything in. Of course I had to hang all the pictures so everything looked just right, and then I gave loads of kisses to lovely Lulu who was busy putting her clothes away, and off I went up 95 North to Camden, Maine.


I had various estimates depending on who I talked to about how long the drive would be. It ended up longer than I thought, about 5 hours. It was mostly dark outside the whole way so I couldn’t see any of the beautiful scenery, but I did make out a Burger King at a truck stop about half way outside Portland. I listened to an interesting radio interview with a Pulitzer Prize author of a book about the Palestian terrorists that was made into a movie premiering on HBO tonight. It did help the time go by.



I’m in my room now at The Inn at Ocean’s Edge where I have a king size 4 poster bed, a fireplace that turns on with a light switch, and a huge Jacuzzi which I could easily fall into if I’m not careful in the middle of the night. And, I think there’s a ghost. Breakfast is served at 8am, so tomorrow I’m sleeping in late…I think I deserve it!

Wednesday in Camden, Maine

The ghost did not bother me last night, as I slept like a log! The morning was foggy and misty as I walked down to breakfast (complimentary). There were those complaining about the weather, but I could have cared less as I was happy to have my coffee and catch up on the news.
Front page on The Portland Press Herald tells how the apple season in Maine is a good two weeks early thanks to an early frost last spring. Oh, and the guy who stole Kristen Dunst's designer purse from a NYC hotel suite is going to prison for 4 years. Anyone remember which designer designed the designer purse? Do we feel this sentence is a little excessive? Weigh in girls!


It was 10:00am and taking beautiful photos of the harbor was not an option due to the fog, so I have no alternative than to head into town and check out the shops. News flash - there is no shortage of independent bookstores in Camden Maine. Every other store is a bookstore! How can a little coastal village in rather remote Maine sustain this many bookstores?


I picture everyone curled up on their sofa beginning in November reading a multitude of books for the next 6 months until the snow goes away. I didn't see any movie theaters, although duly noted one bowling alley (did you hear I was the grand prize winner at Mar Vista bowling alley the other night with a score of 160? You did? oh...)


Camden is full of 19th century captains’ homes, now restaurants and B&B's. It is described in the local brochure as "a poor man's yacht haven - open year round - with a thriving fishing industry". Back in 1935 an artist Frank Swift refitted a few fishing schooners to carry passengers around the many island sin Penobscot Bay and thus was born the windjammer industry.

On a clear day this would be a fun thing to do. Another thing would be to hike into the 6500-acre Camden Hills State Park, where you can walk (or drive) up to the summit of Mount Battie (600 feet!!!) for some great views. Maybe tomorrow..


Into the village I discover lots of darling shops and many things one "must have" but I exercise some restraint until it comes to the antique barn where they have a pile of vintage floral tablecloths mismarked (?) at $20...I purchase "a few".


I see an old wooden desk painted a soft color of pink that would be perfect for Lulu's room - it is fully assembled (probably 50 years ago)... I contemplate sticking it in my car for the drive back down to Boston.





Next stop is The Center for Maine Contemporary Art where Maine artists are featured. As I was strolling around the galleries I received a text message from Denni at the office "Have you seen the Galloway cows?" What is she talking about? Could she be confused and talking about the Williams College purple cows? I asked the front desk and they pointed to the right "about a mile down the road".



A few minutes later I was taking a million photos of the Aldemere Farm Belted Galloway Cows (black at both ends with white in the middle)... For those of you murmuring to yourself "Cindy's all excited about a few cows? Clearly that dresser experience in Boston has turned her a little koo-koo...", well take a look at the photos - the cows are gorgeous!!!

Cow viewing worked up an appetite so it was back into town where I relaxed at Cappy's Chower House where I enjoyed a lovely harbor view and a delicious Lobster Caesar Salad ($18.00). Energized.. I take a short drive out to view one of the 65 lighthouses in Maine - the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. It was late in the afternoon and the dappled sunlight on the water was quite special.


The lighthouse is accessed by a mile long walk over huge boulders lined out into the harbor. Due to my knee being a bit wobbly (Dr Volpecelli called in early with the MRI results - it's a "worn" meniscus for which he prescribed Advil, Ice, and a lot of rest...I'll do 2 outa 3 for now!) I just enjoyed the view. Many people were out walking their dogs and taking photos.

I drove into nearby Rockland to see if the Farnsworth Art Museum and Wyeth Center was still by chance open at 5:45pm. As luck would have it, on Wednesday evenings the museum is open until 8:00pm! This extraordinary museum was established by Lucy Farnsworth, who "amazed everyone" when upon her death at age 97 in 1935, left $1.3 million to preserve her house and build a library and art gallery to honor the memory of her father. The permanent collection includes many Maine paintings by Winslow, Homer, George Bellow, and a (then) little-known local summer resident Andrew Wyeth. The current special exhibit featured huge paintings by the contemporary artist Alex Katz.



Outside the museum are large contemporary sculptures, one which looks like falling pillars (you will see me in the accompanying photo - I am posing, not knocking them down).


It's late so I head back to the hotel where I review the photos which are provided on this blog FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE! I mulled over some options for tomorrow's outing. One may be to drive by the Knox Woolen Company - better known today as the site of the "Harrington Mill" which was portrayed in the movie Peyton Place (the locals are very proud of this). It is said that tomorrow will be thunderstorms, but I don't believe it for a minute. zzzzzz....

Thursday - On a Sunny Day Heading South...

Waking up to a glorious morning with wispy clouds and a gentle breeze. I took a photo from my window but believe me, it doesn't do the view any justice - you just have to BE here to see how the sun lights up the water. The sky is the bluest of blue and the clouds are like great big puffs of cotton. After a light breakfast – today I am determined to stick to a healthy low calorie diet - I pack up the car and begin my trek down to Kennebunkport where I will spend the night.

Only 10 minutes down the road I turn into Camden Hills State Park, which advertises all kinds of nature trails and hikes. Everyone has been telling me I have to drive the 1 mile road up to the top of Mt. Battie (600 feet remember) as the view is spectacular. I'll admit to being a bit of a Kilimanjaro snob, but up I go. The top is an OMG moment like I've never seen! Spread in front of you as far as the eye can see is the Penobscot Bay to the right, and a series of long slips of islands to the left. I took some photos but really a wide angle lens is needed to "take it all in". There was a local up there pointing out Islesboro, a little slip of an island where John Travolta has a summer home. I overhead him say "He is a really nice guy, very unassuming and polite...unlike Kirsty Alley who also has a house there and is an arrogant-----" Just repeating what I heard. I think as the years pass on, when I think back on this trip, the view from the summit of Mt Battie will be what sticks with me.



Onward down the "mountain" I turn onto Route 1 and drive into Rockland, where you remember is the town with The Farnsworth Art Museum. Since I was there too late last night to peruse the little shops and restaurants, I made a stop to look around.



First stop was a roadside lobster shack where I had the most delicious lobster roll (on whole wheat pluzzz...) with a side of warm butter, cole slaw & pickles, and a bottle of root beer.



This former ship building hub is now mostly supported by the service trade, and many people come here to take sightseeing trips on the ferries. I googled to see if there was any other interesting info on Rockland I could share with you and discovered this is where the poet Edna Vicent Millay lived


but more importantly it was the home of Dolly Stewart, who in 1937 was named the very first Miss Maine! My mother's name was Dolly Stewart!!! Could she have had a secret life I never knew of?...she would have been 18 then!!!!







Contemplating this rather startling bit of information, I continued my drive merrily along until spotting a huge sign on the left which caused me to screech to a halt. MAINE STATE PRISON GIFT STORE! Again - Colleen, you think Newbury Street has shopping, you should have been here.









Surrounded by wooden bird houses, ducks, tables & desks, very intricate model ships, wooden toys...I couldn't decide WHAT to buy but buy I must! A "salesman" in a blue uniform with many tattoos up & down his arms walked by and naturally I couldn't help myself and struck up a conversation.







He said the 435 prisoners (some lifers!) from the maximum security prison are very eager to get into this work program and the waiting list is very long - they earn $1.35 - $3.00/hour and are paid bi-weekly. They can use their money for sodas or snack items, but most send the money home to their families for child support, or to pay off restitution. Maine is one of the very few states that sells prison goods directly to the consumer. Federal law prohibits these products to be transported across state lines, so anything they sell is on a "cash and carry" basis. You can tell I find this all so interesting!!!

Back to the "salesman" - he asked where I was from and when I said LA, he said "Oh I used to live in Huntington Beach, then Texas, then Oklahoma..." as he drifted off. I said "Oh what brought you to Rockland Maine????" and he looks at me a little taken aback it seemed, and said "Well that's a long story." Oh yeah - he's in prison!!! When I paid for my purchases (which include the surprise vacation treats I always bring home to my lady friends!) the guard at the register spotted my camera and said "Lady, don't take any photos of the workers. It's against the law. We don't want anyone to know where the fellas are..."

Onward, I made a quick stop at the Alpaca Farm but since by now it was raining, I really couldn't spend much time there. Suffice it to say the owner said they keep the male (brown) and female (white) in separate pens. They are really cute, but our Llamas in Maui with their crocked teeth are cuter! Down the road was a fabric store where I stopped and bought a few remnants for the Haitian Dollie Project, then next stop was the showcase store for Edgecomb Potters, a mainstay in Maine. So many displays of beautiful glazed mups, plates, bowls, vases...it was overwhelming. I asked a salesclerk how much further it was to get to Boothbay Harbor, and it was only 15 minutes down the road, so despite the now ever present rain I took a drive down there...more shops and restaurants and more of a honky-tonk feel. Maybe it was due to the weather but I didn't find it as charming as other villages I'd seen.



By this time it was 4:30pm and I needed nourishment so where else but a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts for some coffee and (I'll admit it) a pink glazed donut. I pulled up to The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens with 20 minutes left until closing time.




Willie's dorm counselor at Riverview had told me this was a "must see" so since I'd be seeing HER in 2 days I thought I'd better go and then report back to her how wonderful it was, and then she'd be extra nice to Willie when he decides he wants to sleep late in the morning while everyone else was up and ready to go and the van is waiting........





God wanted me to visit these gardens also, as miraculously the rain stopped the moment I drove into the parking lot, the sun came out and the lady at the front desk says "No problem - go in for free since you've only got a little while..." I hope my photos reflect how lovely it was, the sun shining on the flowers dotted with raindrops...

From this point on it was full speed ahead to Kennebunkport where I would reside for the evening. Last year you remember I stayed in a charming bed & breakfast type hotel. This year I decided to go BIG, and booked a room at The Colony, a 125 room 5 building stately white clapboard hotel with a salt water swimming pool and ocean view.




Built in 1947, the lobby has walls filled with black & white photos of dignitaries...this is where President Bush had Russia's Vladimir Putin's entourage stay when he visited years back...(The Bush compound is right down the road - see attached photo).

As I drifted off to sleep I heard my blackberry buzzing. I reached over and read the message from Teresa "458 Toyopa is going on the market! He decided it was too far away from the kid's school". ARE YOU KIDDING ME? More on this later, but you Huntington folks know what I'm talking about... Was that a nightmare, maybe a ghost of Putin sent it?, or could that possibly be the truth? Honestly, you can't make this up...

Friday - Back to Boston and On to the Cape

Woke up to a beautiful sunny day in Kennebunkport. I had to walk across the street from my little East End Cottage, to the main building for my complimentary breakfast.


I was wandering around the huge lobby looking for the breakfast room when I ran into a suit & tie kinda guy and asked "Where's the buffet breakfast?" He said "Are you with the Thousand Points of Light" convention? When I asked what that was, he said it was a group of folks who are involved in volunteerism, started by President Bush.





I said no, and turned down another wing. There was a room full of nurses listening to a speaker talk about the perils of obesity in old age. After what I've been eating the past few days up and down the state of Maine, this was a subject matter I did not want to be informed of. Finally I found the dining room where I had a hearty breakfast of blueberry pancakes with a slab of butter and warm maple syrup. Delicious! OK my diet starts right now.







I packed up my things and headed down Hwy 9 and pulled into a fair share of antique stores and old furniture barns. But I needed to get to Boston by 4pm if I was to drop off the pink painted wooden desk I picked up in a hole-in-the-wall store for Lulu's bedroom, and get to Logan Airport by 5:30pm to pick up Bill & Willie.


I flipped through the radio stations as I had a good 2 hour drive ahead of me. I listened a bit to Rush Limbaugh until I couldn't take it anymore, and then switched to chamber music of all things. I found I couldn't listen to Disco or Rock & Roll and pay attention to the nice lady on my GPS at the same time...too much distraction. Where was Dr. Laura when I needed her? Who better to pass the time with?









Lulu was home unpacking the last of her 5 big boxes that had stayed in storage in Boston over the summer. She loved the pink desk, but put her hand out and firmly said NO NO NO when I suggested maybe an end table for over here, and a little chest of drawers over there??? Apparently the home decorating was complete. My daughter the minimalist...






I had to snap a photo of her darling roommates - Maggie from Minnesota is the brunette, and Brooke from Bermuda is the blond. The other girls were downstairs making dinner so they missed the photo-op.


I fought the Boston rush hour traffic to Logan airport, and found Bill & Willie waiting for me at curbside. We stopped in Hingham Mall for a delicious dinner at Panera's then drove off into the night to Cape Cod. Now nestled in the Hyannis Holiday Inn, I hear the rain outside which is a good thing as that usually means tomorrow will be a gorgeous day. Until then...

Saturday - Back to School Day

Saturday morning we headed across the street for a hearty breakfast at Willie's favorite Cape Cod restaurant FRIENDLY'S where he is known as a regular. We walked in and it was "Oh hey Hi Willie! Back to school huh? How was your summer? " The red carpet was rolled out and we were given a prime seat in a corner booth where his orange juice was brought to him without a word spoken. We placed our orders with his favorite waitress Hope, his being "3 scrambled eggs, bacon-you know how I like it, sausages-an extra one for my dad 'cause he never orders it but always tries to eat one of mine, and a side of pancakes". Bill ordered a bowl of fresh fruit (it arrived as canned mandarian oranges and a whole apple) and I something similar (well sorta...)"Hope" Willie says, "Do people ever order milk shakes or ice cream cones for breakfast?" and she says "Why yes Willie they do... all the time!!"


Next on the agenda was a scheduled visit to a new "life after Riverview" program called Palaemon, that had just gotten off the ground in nearby Barnstable (pronounced Baaaaaaannnstable). This is the year where we must focus our attention on where Willie will move onto after graduation from Riverview next June. A lot of programs have sprung up on the Cape in the past few years, as the young adults who have spent 5 years as Willie will have living on the Cape often want to stay on the Cape as it feels like home to them.



Personally, I would like Willie to move back closer to us- not next door (even though, as you have heard, that house is for sale good God!!) but closer than a 5 hour airplane flight away, as I miss him!!! However Willie, right now anyway, seems determined to stay on the Cape.


We met the young married couple who run Palaemon, and their 2 big chocolate labs. The couple met as dorm counselors at Riverview 5 years ago, and have now married and gone out on their own. The house, which is set up for 7 young adults ,is quite charming and they are enjoying fixing it all up. There is ONE room left!!!!



It is a short walking distance from the beach as well as the village which has all kinds of little shops and a diner. At the same time we were chatting it up, the community was gathering on the front lawn of the nearby library for a 911 memorial service complete with bag pipes and local musicians.

Feeling like we could check Palaemon off our list as a "definate possibility", we continued up the road to Riverview where Willie registered for his final year in the Bridgeview Program, and re-connected with his friends. When we first visited Riverview many years ago, we loved everything about it but acknowledged how some of the buildings were a bit tired (for example, you may remember the roof of Willie's first dorm flew off in a winter storm). This past year, the school was able to raise the money (even in these tough economical times) to break ground on a brand new center which is now 99% complete. It houses not only the administration offices where a prospective parent and student will enter for their first interview, but a huge performing arts auditorium, student center, 4 art studios, a music studio, and a library. It has a bell tower and a large cafeteria. The transformation from what was there before to now is nothing short of amazing. Thank God Willie has a year to enjoy this new building!

We spent less than an hour at his dorm setting up his room, where this year he has his own TV and internet connection (every year a little more independence!). Lucky for us we were able to leave a lot of his bedding and stuff after the Riverview summer program was over being as he is in the same dorm as last year.



After a gathering of all the parents for the usual "This is going to be a great year, don't worry we will take wonderful care of your spectacular children..." we skipped the Cranberry Social and headed over to Hyannis to have dinner at the place where Willie worked last summer, Palios Pizzeria. Honestly it was delicious pizza, which Willie confirmed and he knows his pizza! Praise God he will no longer be singing the blues about the very traumatic event of Pizza Hut shutting down in Harwich last winter.

Feeling a tad stuffed, we headed back to the Holiday Inn and called it a night.