My Other Brother's Yard

October 14-16, 2019

Casco, Maine

Day 122-124

Checking out today and stopping at my uncle Frank's house in Milford, NH. It's on the way to Casco, ME where Jill and I will be staying with my younger brother Alfie, and his girlfriend Caroline. Yes, I have a big family; three brothers and three sisters, and I will be seeing them all this trip.

It’s a beautiful drive and easy too; except when we get to his house. I try and park on his street and end up getting stuck turning around in a small lot up the hill. It took about 20 minutes, but we finally did it. The truck’s back-up assist function was not working (it's fickle when sunny), so I had to back-up old school. At least I am getting more and more experience, which I need.

My aunt Vickie and Cousin Tory also joined us for lunch which was really nice too. I have seen so many relatives lately, and I have even more to see in the coming weeks. He picked up some terrific Lebanese food in Methuen and a panettone cake (yes, the layers were from a panettone and covered with buttercream) too. You never go hungry in an Italian family.

We got back on the road by 1:30 pm and to make up time, take I93 to I95 the rest of the way. There's lots of construction and it's very, very narrow in some parts. I was happy to get off the freeway in Windham but then had to ensure 20 minutes of local commercial traffic before being rewarded with the beautiful picturesque roads you would expect from rural Maine.

Foliage up here is even more beautiful. You can feel the chill in air and, thanks to the light wind, leaves are just floating by.

Finally, we arrive in Casco about 3 hours later. The parking area is huge, but the ground is very soft. Thank goodness I got a lesson on leveling recently, and the new levelers too. My brother Alfie was a tremendous help, and he enjoyed it too. They have a barn with extra wood planks which came in very, very handy. We put down two wood planks, then the new levelers on top, and backed up the rig ‘til level. Perfect! Then, we put a down a wood plank chunk, with 3 stabilizer blocks on top, for the tongue jack. Now I won't sink. I didn’t unhitch; we will be here two nights, and I won’t be driving.

The electric was a little tricky. My 30 amp did not fit his, so we took it down to 20 amp. That gives me the furnace, fridge and lights. No TV or espresso machine though, but we do have fresh water. The location is terrific; we are steps from the back door. After this done, I can finally relax and meet Caroline properly; which was so nice! We have a great dinner and all visit by the fire stove. It’s so peaceful and beautiful here.

Day 2 - It’s a chilly 29 degrees outside, but nice and toasty in the house. We have a hearty breakfast of fresh duck eggs and scrapple (which I brought from PA).

Our other sister Sarah arrives and will stay the night (it will be Jill, Sarah and me in the trailer tonight – fun!). We all visit for a while before heading out for the day. Alfie helps me put air in all my RV tires with their compressor. Thank goodness they have one! What a relief, I was at 70 psi on one side and 80 on the other (sun side). We will double check tomorrow morning to be safe.

The four of us sibs took off for Hackers Hill which overlooks the Appalachian Mountain range and, more specifically, the White Mountains of NH and ME. The sky is clear, the air is fresh, and the views are gorgeous. Then back to the house for a nice lunch, and a short walk over to meet the neighbor’s pigs and new piglets.

Later we went out again, just driving around pretty towns like Norway and Naples. Made a quick stop into The Umbrella Factory, which is a grocery store with, wait for it, umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. Back home, we all relaxed and had a delicious dinner of braised short ribs, polenta and broccolini. Yum.

Took only about 10 minutes for the trailer to get toasty warm! Turned the dinette area into a double bed and we were all comfortable and cozy, including Sparky who decided to snuggle with Sarah tonight.