Tuesday, October 1, 2013

taking a sabbatical....

wow, hard to believe that I have not blogged in a month!
I have been training new employees, which entails traveling quite a bit. My creativity gets funneled into training activities and the writing of instructions.  So, while I still have moments of inspiration, I am so focused on training that other things do not get done.  And, on the weekends, I have been focused on seeing and doing things here -in the area where we are working.  In this case it is New England, where, in the past, I have been 'feet on the ground' before, but not as a tourist.  So, I have been taking this opportunity to be a part-time tourist on the weekends.  I have not actively sought the most popular of tourist attractions, but that is just me! I have never really followed the crowd, but all my life I have done my "own thing", and that is what my tourism on this trip has been.
If you are my friend on Facebook, and you have paid attention to the photos I have shared, then you already know that I have been to the Lizzie Borden Home and Museum in Fall River Massachusetts.  I have been to Providence, Rhode Island --thusly eliminating from my list the last remaining U.S. state East of the Mississippi that I had not visited.  (There are only 8 U.S. states that I have yet to visit.)  I have added to my list of major airports Logan Airport in Boston, and was there on the day of the fuel tank fire, which extended my already long day by another hour (and I am grateful that was the length of the delay!).  Later I spent 4 days in Kennebunk, Maine and the surrounding area, including a couple of hours at the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge walking in the woods.  I ate wonderfully delicious gluten free pizza at Duffy's Tavern, not once but 2 days in a row, with wonderful Omission gluten free beer.  I drove the Ocean Avenue route at Kennebunkport, and went out to Twin Lighthouses state park near Portland, Maine.
The following weekend I headed down to Gloucester, Massachusetts to see the Fisherman's Memorial park, and see the names of those lost at sea, including the crew of the Andrea Gail (subject of the film The Perfect Storm), found The Crow's Nest, and had a wonderful gluten free breakfast at Mamie's Kitchen on Pleasant Street in Gloucester.  Then, intending to follow roads along the coast, I happened upon Hammond "Castle" museum, which was the home of an interesting, eccentric named John Hammond, Jr. who is considered the "father" of radio control.  From there I headed over to Marblehead Neck, and then wandered around a bit on the way back to my hotel. (Walmarts are few and far between in this area!)
That sums up my tourist activity for September 2013.

So, that's what i have been up to instead of creative blogging.