Young at Heart and Mind: A Most Wonderful Vacation

I can't believe it. I actually took two weeks off. And I became the Travelin' Man. It all started with a brief visit to the home of former college roommate Jim Kahrs and his saintly wife Sheila, in Athens, GA. They have a summer place on Franklin Pierce Lake in New Hampshire. For many, many years, they have invited me to visit them at the Lake. I decided that this was the year to do it.

Coincidentally, this year's Great Race was passing through part of New Hampshire on it's way to a final destination of Gardiner, Maine. Maybe I could combine a visit with Jim and Sheila and a visit to some Great Race venues. I decided to travel to New Hampshire and Maine, then back to Lake George, New York, to visit another long-time friend, Barbara "Petie" Mackintosh. Here are the posts I put on Facebook, which pretty much tell the story:

June 10, 2024

I hope to meet up with some of my old Great Race friends in New Hampshire on June 30. I’ve had the privilege to have driven in 5 Great Races. As our late, beloved Charlie Stroud used to say, “It’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on!”

June 22, 2024

Bella and I have settled into our room after enjoying a nice dinner. We drove nothing but non-interstates coming up today. Some of the scenery was picture postcard breathtaking. One of the benefits of the back roads is the surprising lack of traffic. I saw one police car in over 400 miles. More to come tomorrow.

June 23, 2024

This backroads travel is interesting. At one point today, in far Southwestern Virginia, I drove over an hour without seeing another car. Drove through White Sulphur Springs and saw the Greenbrier golf course. The scenery has been beyond beautiful, with enormous valley farms and pastures framed on all sides with lush mountainsides. Most of the barns are freshly painted replete with hex signs. The livestock look incredibly healthy. I believe there are more churches per square mile in Pennsylvania than any Bible Belt state. The guy who paints the curve warning signs has the most job security. Only downside so far -- gas is a full dollar more expensive than back home. Bella got leftover ribeye for dinner, but she's not spoiled. More tomorrow; gonna get some sleep.

June 24, 2024

Greetings from Keene, New Hampshire. I left New Columbia, PA right around 6:30 this morning. I must have set my GPS on "shortest route" because within the first couple of hours I was on a one-lane gravel road. I was hoping for an adventure and apparently I wasn't going to be disappointed. I traveled the alleghenies, the Poconos, and the Catskills by noontime. My route, coincidentally, took me through my home town of Schenectady, so I decided to visit the house I was raised in to see if the current occupants would allow me to photograph some of the interior woodwork, which was all handcrafted at the turn of the twentieth century. The building, which held my father's dental offices and our residence, is now the home of a social services non-profit. Agri-Business Child Development (ABCD), founded in 1946, is committed to providing the highest quality early childhood education and social services to farm worker and other eligible families across New York State. I was in luck. After I introduced myself and explained what I wanted to do, two lovely ladies welcomed me and said I could photograph at will. It brought back wonderful memories and deep respect for the artisans who produced this woodwork with hand tools around 1900. I shared with the ladies some of the history of the house which they seemed to enjoy.

I'm now in Keene, New Hampshire. Over the next three days, I'll be visiting Jim and Sheila Kahrs at their place on Franklin Pierce Lake, about a half hour's drive from Keene. Jim and I roomed together during the 1970s in Norman, Oklahoma. Today was a joy, with temperatures in the 60s and lower 70s. I hope it lasts.

More tomorrow...

June 26, 2024

Greetings from the Greenfield Inn in Greenfield, New Hampshire! I arrived here about 8:00 last evening, after a wonderfully refreshing day. It started with a scenic drive through several mountain passes from Keene, New Hampshire to Franklin Pierce Lake, where my old roommate, Jim Kahrs, and his wife Sheila (I refer to her as Saint Sheila), have a beautiful summer home. I had seen this property about thirty years ago, and was amazed at what they have created on the property. It is really exquisite, yet retains the quality of feeling lived in and loved by their entire family. We spent most of the day relaxing and sharing reminiscences and life experiences, after which we went to dinner at a charming (and very good) restaurant. Thanks to GPS, I found my lodging for the next couple of days with no problems.

The Greenfield Inn is charming in every way. As I write this, I’m sitting in a wicker chair on a beautiful wrap-around porch watching the sun come up over a quaint New England village. My room is on the second floor of a large clapboard-covered structure that I would estimate dates from the 1860s. The floors and stairs creak and I notice that the floor in my room is pine, most boards being 8 to 10 inches in width, and fastened with square cut nails. The decor is country charming. This morning, I walked Bella down to the middle town, perhaps a quarter-mile, and back, came inside and got a large cup of coffee, and sat in a wonderfully comfortable stationary rocker in the parlor. The room was well furnished for guests — a large banjo floor clock ticked away as I inventoried the room. There was a large chess board, a cribbage set, a player piano with dozens of rolls, a fine Epiphone guitar, an accordian, a cylinder record player with a large box of wax cylinders, several comfortable looking chairs, and lots of books, all accompanied by a wood burning stove perched on a brick hearth. I could picture a room full of wintertime guests, after a day of skiing, sitting around the large room warmed by that marvelous stove, singing and playing music. And not a television in sight.

Today I’ll be going back out to the lake to spend more treasured time with Jim and Sheila. After all, coming to see them was one of my main reasons for this crazy excursion. More to follow…

By the way, yesterday I saw my first “Moose Crossing” sign in many, many years.

June 28. 2024

I’ve spent two more very relaxing days with my dear friends Jim and Sheila Kahrs at Franklin Pierce Lake in New Hampshire. Sitting on a deck overlooking a tranquil lake with a cool breeze seems to be appealing. I’ve even had opportunities to let Bella run loose. Jim and Sheila’s place is at the end of a gravel road with little to no traffic.

Night before last, we went to great little local Chinese/Japanese restaurant. Everything from fresh sushi to Peking duck. It served excellent food and we really enjoyed the conviviality. Yesterday morning I arose early (a bad habit of mine) and walked Bella. When I returned to the Inn and was making my coffee, I had a chance to chat with Carla, the innkeeper. I learned that the Greenfield Inn was actually much older than I had guessed. The building in which I am staying was built in 1814. That’s before I was born! I also learned that Bob Hope had stayed here. Carla shared a large album of photographs and newspaper clippings about the history of the Inn. It’s really quite an historic place. And to think that I just found it at random on the Internet. She also told me to feel free to take pictures of any of the rooms that are not occupied (some of which I’ve shared below).

After my coffee break with Carla, I showered and dressed for the day, and drove about fifteen miles to Milford, New Hampshire, where I met up with two classmates from my undergraduate days at the University of Rochester. Classmate and fellow NROTC student Dick Stout had seen on my facebook page that I was in New Hampshire. He reached out to me and informed me that he lived nearby and wondered if we might get together. And oh, by the way, he regularly plays golf with another classmate, Douglas Rupert, who also is retired and living nearby. I called Dick and we three met for breakfast in Milford. What a treat to see these fellows again after 62 years! We enjoyed a lot of recollections over breakfast and then they were off to the golf course. I returned to the lake house.

One of the highlights of yesterday’s visit was a chance to meet the contractor who built the beautiful house on the lake. Mike and Pam live not far from Jim and Sheila and they were able to stop by last evening. I was glad to have the chance to express to Mike my admiration for the remarkable creativity and craftsmanship that’s so evident in every feature of the house. One item of interest — after Jim Kahrs and Mike met in New Hampshire, they realized that they’d grown up less than five miles apart on Long Island.

I received a text message from Jim and Sheila’s daughter Susan Alexandra Kahrs, telling me I had to see her turtle before I left. It turns out that Mike the builder had found a preserved snapping turtle in an abandoned building he was renovating. He presented it to Sue, who treasures it. I went upstairs to her room and got to see the very ominous looking turtle. I also made time to do my laundry during the afternoon.

Last evening was seafood night. We drove to a local informal down-home restaurant and I got the first lobster roll I’ve eaten since I was working in Connecticut in 2006! And it was one of the best I’ve ever eaten. God is good to this elder statesman.

Today, Jim and Sheila are driving over to my location to accompany me on the next leg of this expedition. You’ll learn about it in the next installment. Stay tuned.

Jun 29, 2024

Yesterday was the day I would start following the Great Race. For those who might not know, this is a precision endurance timed rally for vintage automobiles. Each year it follows a different course and this year's route took the 120 cars from Owensboro, KY to Gardiner, ME. As I was planning this trip, I seized on the opportunity to be a Great Race groupie. I've been privileged to complete the Great Race 5 times, mostly in my 1932 Plymouth coupe. As my late friend Charlie Stroud used to say, "The Great Race is the most fun you can have with your clothes on!"

I left the Greenfield Inn around 8:30 AM and, accompanied by Jim and Sheila Kahrs, caravanned to the New England Racing Museum in Loudon, NH, arriving shortly before the first rally cars arrived. The crowd was almost too large to get any good pictures of the participating cars. After about an hour, I said my goodbyes to Jim and Sheila and headed east toward Freeport, ME, where the Great Race would be spending the night. As usual, I drove all back roads. The scenery was beautiful and I saw nary a moose, although I was frequently warned to be on the lookout for them.

After checking in to my motel, Bella and I drove to the central downtown area of Freeport, where the Great Race arrival gate was set up. I found a free spot near the announcer/staff tent and took up residence. It certainly brought back a flood of memories seeing the cars come through and hearing the familiar patter of the announcer describing each car and its driver and navigator. There's a fairly persistent rumor that I'm already signed up to participate in the 2026 Great Race, partnered with Jim and Sheila Kahrs' daughter Susan Alexandra Kahrs, and driving my still-to-be-completed 1932 Plymouth Model PB sport roadster. As I stood by the arrival point, I heard the announcer inform the crowd that a "former five-time participant in the Great Race" was in the crowd and he pointed me out and called me out by name. I had chatted with Great Race Director, an old friend from Huntsville, earlier in the day, so they knew I was there.

Standing in the crowd, I asked a local gentleman where he usually took his family for seafood. That's how I ended up at the Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster Company for dinner. The pictures tell the story. More to come tomorrow...

One of the first cars to arrive at the racing museum in Loudon, NH. A long-time Great Race competitor.

A quite handsome and rare Packard convertible of the '50s.

In Freeport, ME, I took a wrong turn and briefly ended up in the L.L. Bean parking lot. Guess how I knew?

This unique church was one of the first buildings I saw while walking around Freeport.

Downtown Freeport was modern and immaculate.

This video captures the mood with the arriving rally cars.

This early thirties Reo Royale was a monster!

A very rare air-cooled Franklin. These were built in Syracuse, NY. At one time they were quite popular, but failed during the great depression.

The oldest car in this year's rally -- a 1912 Haynes speedster.

This supercharged "Blower" Bentley came all the way from England to compete! Although these cars have become quite scarce, they are popular as rally cars.

The 600cc Fiat Jolly was used primarily for carrying guests at country clubs and beach resorts. It not only is underpowered, it has wicker seats. But this team had made it all the way from Owensboro, KY!

The scene that greeted me as I approached my dinner venue.

When I saw this sign, I knew I was in the right place.

I could barely lift this lobster roll. I think it weighed about twenty-five pounds. Maybe I'm fibbing, But it was magnificent!

Food protection dog...

This boat yard was across the street.

June 30, 2024

Where to begin? I'm sitting in a tranquil upstairs 2-bedroom accommodation in the middle of a flower farm, having slept like a baby. I'm looking out large windows at greenhouses and evergreens in the morning mist. This is outrageously relaxing.

Yesterday, after a healthy (It must be healthy. The oil it was fried in came from some kind of plant.) breakfast, I headed north for a 4-hour drive to the Seal Cove Auto Museum, where the Great Racers would have their lunch break. When I arrived at the museum entrance, on a very rural road, an official told me I'd have to go to a store about ten miles down the road to catch a shuttle bus back to the museum. Soon I was wedged into a seat designed for 7-year old's, returning to the museum.

When I was eleven years old, I joined The Automobilists of the Upper Hudson Valley. This was a car club focused on weekend touring whenever weather would permit. A close friend of mine, Bob Avery, had a prize winning 1914 Model T Ford in which he would take me on these tours (I couldn't get a drivers license for several more years). On every tour, there was an elderly lady, Pauline B. Snook, who drove a gargantuan (and extremely rare) 1916 Crane-Simplex touring car. I had learned several years ago that her car is in the Seal Cove museum and I couldn't wait to see it.

I've had a passion for cars of the so-called "brass era" for many years. The collection at this museum is second to none. I certainly wasn't disappointed. The rarest of the rare are on display here. And they regularly exercise many of their cars. I saw a video recently of the staff taking guests for rides in their award-winning 1904 Knox.

Suffice it to say I was not disappointed. And I got to see Pauline's car, complete with the picnic set she always used to enjoy her lunch while sitting on the car's massive running board.

I left the museum after watching many of the Great Race cars arrive and depart, rode the bus back to our parking lot, and departed for the Owls Head Transportation Museum, which was the next stop for the Great Racers. Whereas the Seal Cove Museum is very focused on only the earliest days of motoring in automobiles, the Owls Head museum covers aviation, automobiles, and other vehicles, including some more modern conveyances. I arrived a little after 5 o'clock and was soon in the museum. Interestingly, on my trip south, I actually encountered some of the Great Racers on the back roads I was taking, and even spotted one of the rally's timing teams. Again, let the pictures do the talking.

Today, I'll be driving across the White Mountains, the Green Mountains of Vermont, and into the Adirondacks, as I proceed to Lake George, NY, where my family spent many happy summers in the 1940s.

My healthy breakfast:

The car that greeted me at Seal Cove. I knew I was in the right Place.

The curved dash Oldsmobile was the first car produced on a continuous assembly line:

The 1907 Holsman reflects a class of cars called high-wheelers:

In the early days of motoring, there were many fine offerings from France:

Obviously, some of the companies didn't survive.

The 1910 White steamer is enormous. Over the course of its history, the White company which started with sewing machines, made gasoline, steam, and electric-powered cars.

This is Pauline Snook's car:

Front view of Pauline Snook's mammoth Crane-Simplex:

A face only a mother could love:

Pauline Snook's often-used picnic set which I have seen in use on that very same running board. BTW, this is an unrestored car.

The award-winning 1904 Knox that they still drive regularly!

A Stoddard-Dayton speedster. Gotta love the playable horns.

Although I didn't see a sign, I believe this is a Model K Ford.

The Owls Head museum also had its fair share of brass era cars.

A Whizzer motorbike in the Owls Head museum. Jim Kahrs and I were talking about these just the other day.

This 1923 Cretors Popcorn Wagon is identical to one that I used to visit as a kid in Cambridge, NY.

The view out my window at the flower farm:

July 1, 2024

Yesterday’s drive took me across rural Maine (Remember, no interstates allowed), through New Hampshire’s Presidential Range, then Vermont’s Green Mountains, and finally descending into New York’s historic Hudson Valley. My GPS brought me into New York at the town of Whitehall, which coincidentally was the residence of many generation of my maternal ancestors. I have spent many hours in the Historical Society there retrieving family records, and in my childhood, spent a few summers at my great uncle’s dairy farm learning about hard work.

I have to say that although the entire drive was a joy, the portion through the Presidentials was awe inspiring. These are massive mountains. I was driving through mountain passes thinking two things: How in God’s name did they ever get this road built through here? And who is really crazy enough to hike up these enormous mountains?

Again, my weather was perfect for the drive to my destination — Lake George, New York. I got here about 5. The purpose of this trip was to visit a long-time friend, Barbara 'Petie' Mackintosh, who married the grandson of the man in Schenectady who was my “adopted” grandfather in the 1940s. Both my grandfathers were gone early in my infancy, and “Papa” Mackintosh became their surrogate. Our families go w-a-a-ay back.

Petie and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner with lots of catching up to do. The biggest news is that her daughter, Sarah, is expecting and Petie is going to be a Grandmother! I learned that Sarah and her husband are coming up to the lake today so I have decided to stay over an extra day to see them.

I’ve decided I really like vacations. More to come…

A view of my flower farm lodging as I arose yesterday morning.

Petie’s day job. A saintly calling, I might add.

July 4, 2024

I have arrived safely at home, slept a few hours, and can now describe the last couple days of my whirlwind trip. As I mentioned in my previous post, I decided to spend an extra day at Lake George, and what a day it turned out to be!

A little background first. To quote from a blog entry I wrote in 2017, "Both my grandfathers died before I reached the age of four. I barely remember either one. But fortunately for me, there was a remarkable old man who lived across the street from the house where I grew up who became my perfect surrogate grandfather. His name was Frederick Peter Mackintosh.

I first spent time with "Mr. Mackintosh" in about 1944. I was four years old and had learned to cross the street unescorted. He was then in his 80's. Our acquaintance was brief but very important during my formative years."

The Mackintoshes had a summer house on the eastern shore of Lake George, New York, a pristine spring fed lake about 32 miles long by 2-1/2 miles wide, nestled in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains. The Mead family rented a cottage every August during the 1940s on Basin Bay on the western side of the lake. Our families often got together during our summer stays. The lady I was visiting, "Petie" Mackintosh, married the grandson of Frederick whom I revered so much. And they have a daughter, Sarah Spellman, now married to husband Matt, and they are expecting their first child. I stayed over an extra day because Sarah and Matt were coming to the lake for a few days.

I arose, showered, dressed, and headed to the lake house. I got to meet Matt and got a big hug from Sarah, whom I hadn't seen in 20 years. What a treat. I learned that later in the day, we were going on "the boat" for a ride up and across the lake to Basin Bay to see if we could find "The Birches," the cottage my family used to rent each year. Then, we would proceed further up the lake to the Algonquin restaurant, a long-time Lake George staple. It's a waterside informal, but delightfully old-school restaurant, characterized by multiple finger docks where people can arrive by and moor their boats (ably assisted by young, uniformed dock attendants) and dine overlooking the lake.

We were met by members of Petie's family, who have a place on the west side of the lake, and were seated directly overlooking the mooring area. With perfect weather, I can't imagine a more delightful way to enjoy a casual meal. And the food was exquisite. I had fish and chips, some of the best I've ever had.

After saying our goodbyes to Petie's family, we headed back across to the lake house. I stayed a little while longer and reluctantly bid my friends goodbye. I look forward eagerly to seeing them again soon. This was a very special visit. I'm thrilled that I stayed over the extra day.

I decided to speed up my trip home by making use of the Interstates. After an early start on Tuesday morning, I made it 545 miles to Harrisonburg, VA. Then yesterday, I drove the remaining 567 miles to my home.

This trip was beyond amazing. I might have tried to pack too many events and destinations into too few days, but the weather cooperated, my truck performed flawlessly, and I don't think I would have changed a thing. I'm especially grateful that God has been good enough to have provided me the longevity, vigor, and good health to have completed this expedition and renewed so many friendships. Words can't express my gratitude.

Bella guards her bone as we head for the lake house.