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Sunday, August 08, 2010

A Birthday and Anniversary spanning half of New England





























Providence in the summer is not ideal to be sure. Heat, humidity, dirt and grit amidst a degenerating infrastructure make for a somewhat degraded quality of life. The proximity to saltwater and a widespread number of incredible restaurants at all price levels does do help to alleviate the situation to be sure but still this is only a way station to the next phase. (Did anyone say “Brittany”?)

And of course there's always the nearby East Bay Bike Path to provide some much needed relief from the fields of asphalt and pockmarked pavement that is in fact the defining character of the city. (photos below: a haven of green, lush life, which was directly opposite of an "autoliner" from Japan, and further down the path one often finds the quiet of Narragansett Bay.)




The good news is -- and there is plenty of good news -- the good news is that Susie is trying to fast forward through starting her own baking & pastry business. She’s an incredible trooper about it all but it’s no rose garden trying to crank a new career for yourself when your approaching say, the golden years. She’s learning to network, to craft a marketing strategy, to think about financing a start-up and to hone it all in a business plan. Whew! It makes me tired just writing about it.




As for me, well I’m forging ahead with learning more than I ever dreamed about being a digital image librarian – and work is good to be sure. I miss writing about travel, though, and feel sometimes as if I have strayed from the path of truth, knowledge and sublime enlightenment.

And things will certainly be different in my neck of the woods, the “Jewelry District” which is rapidly giving way to becoming the “Biotech District.” That, we are told, is the plan once Brown University’s Herb Albert School of Medicine and Trumpet Studies kicks off.

But for us it's been a grand and glorious last week or so -- August kicking off with Susie's birthday celebrations, first in Point Judith and then in Douglas, MA. (photos below: the birthday girl herself,  the group gathered and Susie's Uncle Frank.)



Uncle Frank

Right now we're in Maine, in the far north woods in a sleepy little town called Orono, celebrating 27 years of marriage. Hovering on the outskirts of Bangor and hosting a large university, Orono is at the edge of the known world -- heading north or east from here takes you into the lands still untouched. Or so many would like to think.

For us, though, the really most salient point is here is where Joyce and Carl live and here we have come to refresh our spirits. Yes, I thought is sounded hokey, too until it crystalized in my mind yesterday driving to Schoodic Point how incredibly important it is to get away, to put the trials and stresses of the moment on hold, to breathe fresh air, to soak up the clear blue sky, to walk along pitch dark streets, to catch your breath before the next round of life's little twists and turns vie for your attention.

So, more photos to come tomorrow, with a revisit to Winter Harbor and J. M. Gerrish's and trip to Bar Harbor Acadia National Park are in store for today so stay tuned!

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