Catching Up

Okay so I (Dan) just am learning how to blog and update the website from our webmaster. From now on I will be posting more regularly. First I have a bit of catching up to do!

As you know we left from Oak Bluffs, MA on the 18th of May. Our car is comically overpacked. Along the way we have managed to shed some cardboard and other packing materials.

The first night we stayed at my brother Christopher's house in East Providence, Rhode Island. Then on the 19th we visited the Mark Twain Museum in Hartford, Connecticut. My cousin Shirley and her friend met us at the Museum.

I have always been a big fan of Mark Twain and the visit to his home in Hartford set the trip off on the right foot. As many of you know Twain lived and traveled all over the United States and abroad. His first book, "The Innocents Abroad" was about a trip he made to the Holy Land by steamer in 1867. While on board he was smitten with the picture of a young woman shown to him by her brother. When Twain retruned to America he met her, and she became his wife.

Twain suffered many tragedies in his life with the loss of family members and those close to him. I didn't know this. This resonated with me, having lost my mother, my father, my brother Christopher, my stepfather, my step-sister and my step-brother. I am now the only living person remaining from the family I knew as a boy. Like Twain, I haven't let this prevent me from enjoying some happiness in my own life.

That night we camped at the Quarry Campground in Tolland, CT. A few of my many cousins who live in CT were there to see us off. We had a tasty cookout. Setting up and breaking down camp was a struggle as we learned to use our new tent, cots and mattress pads. Also packing the car was like a geometric puzzle, but we were able to overcome these obstacles.

One final issue, you may have noticed I am somewhat overweight. The physical aspects of this trip are

challeging for me. One of my goals is to lose weight and get in shape. So far I am wondering if I am going to be able to pull this off. Oliver keeps me in good spirits with his conversation and humor. I am taking it all one day at a time as they say.

Our next stop ... New York!