We arrived back at Keith and Janet's on Friday afternoon. We left the southern area of Boston at 8 a.m. and didn't get here until 6. We only hit two areas that were stop and go for many miles; otherwise it was a pretty easy trip.

Last Tuesday we drove to L.L. Bean in Freeport, Maine. We remember L.L. Bean from the early 70's when it was a single two story building with creaking wood floors. Now it is a huge new two story building in the middle of town. The rest of Freeport is one big outlet mall. Older buildings such as a Carnegie library building have been taken over by the likes of J.Jill and Abercrombie and Fitch and Nautica. Ken bought some shoes, Helen bought nothing.

After shopping we continued north to the little New England town of Wiscasset to partake of a lobster roll at Red's. He guarantees there is a whole lobster in each sandwich. On a corner of main street in this little town sits a little tiny building with a walk-up window. One can purchase hamburgers and such, but the main player is the lobster roll at $11.00 each. It is nothing but lobster meat in a roll served with a little container of melted butter that is poured out of a tea kettle. This little establishment has been featured in the likes of Gourmet magazine and on the Food Network. It was a great lunch.

On Wednesday we visited one of Ken's Navy friends, Bill Kozain. He and Ken met on the plane that was taking them to Pensacola, Florida for pre-flight training in 1964. Bill and Nina live in New London, New Hampshire on 20 acres in a 100 year old New England farm house. Nina was out of town, but Bill treated us to a steak dinner which we enjoyed with him and his brother and wife who were visiting from Florida.

We like new New England, and especially liked New Hampshire, which we had never visited before. Bill took us down the road, around the bend, by the lake, and up the hill to a working maple farm. Just a farmhouse-type building with a little space in the basement dedicated to candy-making and office space. They have ten MILES of plastic tubing that is used to gather the sap in the spring. Their sugar shack where the sap is boiled down was the house where this man was born. Of course we purchased some maple syrup and had a delightful visit with the owners.

We spent our last evening in Boston having dinner and visiting with Ed and Madeline Gromada whom we know from Navy days in Hawaii. Ed was a brand new ensign and they had just gotten married. Ed has worked for several companies and as a consultant, and his career has taken them to Florida, Holland, and France. We have not seen them for over 30 years, but we took up right where we had left off. It was a delight to see them again.

Ed shared that he considered himself to have been a friend of Julia Childs. Of course, up until a short while before she passed away, she lived in Cambridge, and Ed's company was involved with Julia and a cookware promotion. He said she was a delightful lady. He said she was a great supporter of PBS, and while they were enroute to a dinner and fundraiser, she inquired of her promoters as to what they were charging for her cookbook at this event. Whatever the price, she informed them that they were to increase the price of her cookbook by $5 to better fund PBS.

Remember those who have served and those who have given their lives for this country.

Ciao