Author Archives: Sparky
A day trip to the Clark Art Institute
I visited the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown MA once before, back in 2018. I did it again, this time with Marlene accompanying me, during our 9-day stay at the cabin. I like the museum but I also enjoy the ride through the Berkshires. This time I also got to explore Williamstown a bit. And … Continue reading
9 days in New Salem MA
New Salem MA is a town that is large in area and small in population – less than 1,000 in the 2020 census. It borders the Quabbin Reservoir that provides drinking water to the Boston area. It is remote and beautiful. Bucolic. A good place to rest and relax. We spent 9 days there, in … Continue reading
“No Second Chance” by Harlan Coben
Copyright 2003 by Harlan Coben. Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group Inc., New York. Harlan Coben is one of my favorite mystery authors. His plots are intricate, and his characters are fully formed. He keeps the reader guessing and usually ends with a shocking surprise. That is all true in No … Continue reading
A week in Worcester MA
We ended the trip north (TN_10) late Wednesday. Thursday was a “get rested and get organized” day. We stayed in the home of Jett’s brother and his wife, alone while they were in their cabin in New Salem MA so we had the run of their beautiful 3-bedroom house in Worcester. But we traveled to … Continue reading
TN_10 wrapup
This was a quick trip north with just one night in a hotel. The weather was good but there were some very long travel days. And a bit of car trouble. It was unique in that the entire CV2 Carnival Vista cruise occurred between Hops 1 and 2. By the numbers: Highlights: Lowlights: Planned and … Continue reading
CV2 wrapup
I have lost track of how many cruises I have taken. Must be approaching 20. The CV2 cruise, on the Carnival Vista, is in the running for the worst. Certainly bottom 3. But there were some good things about the cruise. Let’s get those out of the way first. Highlights: Lowlights: The casino wasn’t kind … Continue reading
TN_10 Hop 4: Montclair VA to Worcester MA
440 miles via I-95, I-895 through Baltimore, I-95 again, the New Jersey Turnpike, I-95 again across the George Washington Bridge in New York City, CT 15/Hutchinson Parkway, I-91, I-84, I-90 and I-290. Auto miles: 447. Cumulative route miles: 1,471. Cumulative auto miles: 1,512. This was a LONG day. We departed at 7am, stopped for gas … Continue reading
TN_10 Hop 3: Florence SC to Montclair VA
372 miles via I-95 and VA 234 with one bio break. Auto miles: 381 (extra miles mostly in Florence getting gas and a birthday card for my grandson). Cumulative route miles: 1,031. Cumulative auto miles: 1,065. This was as easy as expected. No tire failures, no accidents, no bad weather. Simple. I like that. Especially … Continue reading
TN_10 Hop 2: Port Canaveral FL to Florence SC
466 miles via I-95 and a bunch of local roads in Brunswick GA. Auto miles: 479 (the extra miles driven in Brunswick GA looking for a tire – see below). Cumulative route miles: 659. Cumulative auto miles: 684. This was supposed to be an easy hop – just a straight shot up I-95. But sometimes … Continue reading
CV2 Day 8: At sea
Our last full day of this very disappointing Carnival Vista cruise. We started with brunch which was nice but not spectacular. We then headed to the other end of the ship (from aft to fore for those of you into ship lingo) to attend the “reunion” – a by-invitation-only get-together for the most dedicated (i.e. … Continue reading