Tamworth, NH, July 6th

Yep, I’m still in Tamworth and the slave driver, George is putting us to work. No, not George III he’s already in bed, but his bossy son, George IV. I guess it isn’t so bad because after a full week for them and a long weekend for me, it’s gotta be done. I know, I should’ve been cleaner cuz I’m sure they didn’t want to deal with my mess, but maybe that’s why I’m in the basement.

The same as a couple of years ago when I was stuck in the basement with Chris’s dad on the smaller beds, but at that time they thought the needed to put the snorer’s downstairs, well it’s a good thing I don’t snore any more, but am still in the basement. I really don’t mind because this year I get it all to myself and it’s very nice and cool down there. Upstairs, they can’t open the windows until later when all of the lights are out so the noseeums don’t get in. You know those little pests that can fit thru the window screens?

Well, after having climbed the mountain yesterday I must’ve really needed the rest because I didn’t finally wake up until late in the morning. Sometimes you need those days just to sleep in and I guess today was one of mine, George even beat me up…yep, slave driver George. I was thinking about making the trip to Bar Harbor today because the Kat that I want to take leaves at 9:00 tomorrow morning that it’d give me a little time to sleep in without having to get up too early, but there were other things that had to get taken care of first, one of them was getting my dry compression sack for my sleeping bag replaced. The one I have blew out yesterday, the second one from REI that has gone out on me that they tell me L.L. Bean around these parts has a 100% lifetime coverage for anything you buy from them. Even if we don’t have one back in the Midwest, it sounds like the deal I want. Anyway, the L.L. Bean outlet in Conway just up the road didn’t have one, but they said the main store just north of Portland, the direction I have to head is open 24 hours a day seven days a week and’ll have what I need. Now that sounds like the ticket and like George III told me, they don’t even have locks on their doors since they’re always open. Sure there’s more to the story, but that depends on how interested in hearing ‘the rest of the story’ you are.

After no luck with the sack, I figured if I got back to the house and packed up within the next hour I’d be able to make it to the big L.L. Bean store and make Bar Harbor to figure out where I needed to be in the morning. You can imagine what happened, but when I got back everyone was gone except for George, Sheryl and the kids that no matter how hard they tried to get rid of me, I decided I might as well stay for another night. No, of course that isn’t the story; it didn’t take George and Sheryl long to talk me into staying and with what was planned for tonight I’m glad I did stay.

Ok, that meant I might as well go and get the bike washed and start packing my cloths better than what I thought I packed them before I left. For some reason I don’t feel my packing is as good as it was a couple of years ago, maybe I over packed, but the one thing I remembered from them that I made sure I made up for this time was an extra pair or riding jeans than what I had then…and I haven’t even pulled out another pair yet. The other good thing about staying another night was I finally got to see the second floor. For days George IV kept sending me to the basement that even though he did come down and wake me up last night to let me know there was a bed open upstairs, I figured I should really stay in the basement where he wanted me to be. Thanks…sorry for the interruption, but the slave driver just turned out the lights on me and made me move so he could open the windows without the noseeums coming in.

As I was about to say, thanks to George III for showing me the upstairs and something else that I have never experienced here was kayaking the lake, that thanks to Chris for taking me out and showing me not only how much fun it is, but the views that you get of the Mountain from that perspective.

Now to dinner. You can see we were set for a feast and that feast was lobster and that meant with the lobster were the lobster hats. For the number of us we ordered 15 lobsters and a couple of pounds of clams and from the look of things and the devastation we were finished ourselves. It was definitely worth staying the extra day even with George still giving me a hard time, but thanks to Tracy, she was there to back me up, even though it’s back to the basement for the night.

Ba Habah here I come…you know, that Maine accent where they don’t pronounce the ‘R’?

Tamworth Day three pix