Cape Cod

Kristi and I had this idea that we would drive to the “Cape” and spend the day. We did minimal research (actually I did very little other than look at a map once or twice and Kristi spent some good time on the net researching places to stop). The Good Morning America weather report mentioned it was a great day to spend on the Cape…so off we go.

The first stop was Plymouth. We found a public beach and let the kids swim and play. It was a stark contrast for me (being used to Gulf Shore beaches) with the rocks. The water was cold, but the kids still had a great time. We then drove into Plymouth for some sights. We had a picnic lunch just a few feet from “The Rock.” The actual Plymouth Rock is kind of a letdown. I agree with a guy I overheard as I scrambled on some rocks to get a better view of it, “It was much bigger in the cartoon when I was growing up.” They are doing some work on the structure around it so it is kind of tough to see, but it’s just a big rock about the size of a small bench.

We were able to see multiple lighthouses during the day as we made our way farther down the cape. We also made it to three separate beaches. We only swam once, but the kids put their feet in all three times. Baby Lucy was a trooper and was in good spirits all day. She eventually wore out and was cranky for the drive home, but overall she had a good time all day. We turned back after seeing the Highland Light (some call it the Cape Cod Lighthouse) – the tallest Light on the Cape. We had a wonderful time and noted some places we’d like to come back and explore some more.

We were successful in a couple of geo-caches, both were types that did not have treasure. That kind of disappointed the kids, but it made the adults happy – no fighting over silly happy-meal toys (one pictured here is the largest boulder left by glacial activity in Massachusetts—Doane Rock).

One of the more funny moments for me happened when we were walking back to the car from beach #3 (Coast Guard Beach near Eastham). We had quite a hike in front of us and Kristi knew the kids would be difficult. She offered cash money to any kid who completed the march without complaining. About 1/3 of the way back, Cory asks, “Mom (he screamed Mom 10-15 times before he spit out his question, but I won’t type them all), is whining the same as complaining?” I was very impressed at his logic, but still laughed that he was quizzing us about the difference between whining and complaining. It turns out all 4 kids were winners in the Cash Prize. Even Lucy somehow made it back without complaint (although she was carried most of the way).

Lucy - not the red ones!

We made it home safe. The last day in Maine was FOGGY. That limited our sightseeing to just a few feet in front of our faces. We had this one spot planned out as a Geocache and a scenic view of the coast, but the FOG kept us from seeing anything farther than 20 feet away.

Another letdown was the geocache was not there. Lucy had the best time of all the family because she found some wild blueberries while we were searching for the treasure (cache).

The drive home reminded us of the traffic and pain of Boston - 20 minutes killed waiting in line for a single toll booth on I-95S. UGH!

We enjoyed our trip to Maine. It was a great new experience to see the small coastal towns. The weather stunk - but that just means we'll have to go back.

And the last of our viewing area to see clearing and sunshine today will be Penobscot Bay…

...these were the words of News 8 Now WMTW’s Meteorologist Matt Zidle this morning as we prepared to go to breakfast. That was followed with “the Rockport area is currently seeing rain, some areas are heavy.” Great—we’re at the Penobscot Bay area, staying between Rockport and Camden, Maine. The next sound we heard was the sound of rain outside our door. Hey, Cory! Do you want to go get breakfast? (we’re in cottages away from the main hotel building)—IN THE RAIN???

Well, in spite of the dreary forecast, we headed out the door to nearby Lincolnville, which we read had a nice public beach—nice in that it had sand, a rare find in Maine’s beaches. We did a little beach combing and came away with several treasures. Ted found a live mussel and proceeded to make it un-live by cracking it open for the kids. We pulled off shells from rocks to see the little critters inside close up into the shell. We found little crabs, and even found a sea star—couldn’t decide if it was dead or alive, so we went with dead and added him to our collection of shells. Cory named him George to be our starfish pet. I think this boy will be in need of therapy someday.

The remainder of the day we poked around Camden, Rockland and Rockport, while Cory continually asked to go back to the hotel. We ate lunch while watching the falls go below us into the bay in Camden (the blue umbrellas in the picture are from the deli where we ate), geocached in Rockport, and after dinner returned to a pastry shop we visited yesterday so that I could get something yummy to go. YUM! YUM! And then the requisite swimming after dinner.

Oh, and if you haven’t noticed, this is now Kristi typing. I was not sure I wanted to author any of these entries for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the title of the blog is clearly TED'S Excellent Adventures. However, I’ve been watching over Ted’s shoulders for the past few entries adding comments and doing my share of changing happys to glads as Ted likes to call it, so it’s probably just as well that I type out my own thoughts.

Rain in Maine - Part Dew

The day started with a dense fog - that never burned off. Our quaint little country inn with a nice delicate breakfast was invaded by our loud and unruly quartet of children. We sampled all the various bread they had to offer, not because we were trying to but because our kids took one bite and screamed I don’t like it.

Our plan was to go to a glass-blowing studio first thing (kids always behave better in the morning). We arrive promptly at 1000 (posted opening) and they have a sign that says first demo at 1230. Grrrr. So we sign up for that and wander off – our plan blown to bits. Next up was a cheese factory, also timed that poorly…no cheese making going on, just cleaning. We bought some cheese curds (a childhood favorite of Kristi’s) and then moved on to downtown Camden.

We spent some time in the toy store, pizza shop, and looking at the falls that run just under the main street into a small harbor. Cory spotted some pirate ships (really just some schooners) and Mary wanted to climb on the rocks. We would have stayed longer and taken pictures but we had to run back to the 1230 glass appointment.

The small studio was perfect for us. We were right up front and got to feel the heat from the furnace. The proprietor created a table center piece that was quite nice. It was interesting to watch her add the layers and colors. We all thought it was some sort of vase until the end and she made it into this flat plate looking thing.

The remainder of the day was the standard: mini-golf, unruly kids at dinner, and swimming. A couple of note worthy items. The weather continues to stink. The red parallelogram below is the Tornado watch for the entire freakin state (that occurred while dad and three “old” kids “golfed.” I use quotes because none of them acted old nor was the game we played anywhere near the game of golf). And Cory had his daily scream-filled-fit from a raindrop falling on him. If only he knew the larger danger looming – he would have gone into shock.

We asked the person in the lobby for a recommendation on a good place for dinner. Actually I had two picked out and asked her for her preference. We followed her advice, but apparently she thought I asked “where do all the old people go for dinner?” We brought the average age down by at least 50 years. I think a nearby party asked to be moved away from us as we were seated at about the same time. Our crew never travels anywhere stealthily and they were quick to ask the hostess to move as we followed them into the back dining area. Just to say I’ve had Maine Lobster in Maine – that’s what I ordered. The kids enjoyed looking at it, but to me it was a disappointment. It tasted just like all the other lobster I’ve ever had. I’ll stick with my primary seafood group from now on – shrimp.

The Rain in Maine...

We decided to take a small vacation. The AF gives you a couple of weeks off after a 6 month deployment. Based on a recommendation from a coworker we are visiting Camden, Maine. We traveled up this afternoon. (One side note - we stopped at a Quiznos - you know how their eating areas are always very small? Well this one might have been the largest one in the world - there was room for the 6 of us (always a challenge) plus at least 10 other tables. - It rocked). After checking in to our room, we looked over the local tourist map for something fun. The Owls Head Lighthouse proved to be a winner.

We walked up to the lighthouse and then walked down to the adjacent beach. We decided that we can’t have all the kids happy at the same time, but between viewing the lighthouse and collecting shells on the rocky beach we were able to at least get a smile out of all 4 kids.

One of the things I have come back to is Cory's aversion to rain/clouds/storms. At the mere mention of "rain" he starts to wig out. Actual clouds and rain send him into a screaming fit. This pic shows that he felt a single drop of rain - and was miserable.
To finish the day we found a quaint seafood place and enjoyed the local fare. Then back to the hotel for some time in the pool (which is really where the kids wanted to be all day - drive hundreds of miles and all they care about is the swimming pool).

So what would you say you do here?

Now that I have been home for a few days I thought I would share some thoughts about what I did while I was there.

Big picture…we provided a review of the detainee’s case. Every 6 months the cases were reviewed in person. A three member panel would read the case file and hear from the detainee. Just as my quote on CNN said…these guys were not convicted of a crime, they have just been held because they were determined to be a threat. The six month review provided a new assessment of that “threat.” If we said they remained a threat they were held for another 6 months, if we recommended release then another process was kicked off that could result in release fore them. We reviewed many aspects of their case to include the reasons they were originally detained as well as their behavior since being put in detention. There were many programs in the facility to help teach them reading, writing, some trade skills, and other things. We were able to take all those things into consideration. I am convinced the process was real. The detainee knew I was the best and quickest way out of lockup (as opposed to Self-Release [the PC term for escape]). Although I was not the final authority, my recommendation was carried forth a majority of the time.

I can’t talk about specific cases, but I can say that I saw the full ends of the spectrum (in many areas). I heard from poor sheep-herders that could not read and write to successful business-men with multiple degrees, from civilians to high ranking military members, from people in the lower classes to ranking members of the political parties, from people who I though were in the wrong place at the wrong time to people I clearly thought were responsible for committing acts of violence against US soldiers. I can honestly say I have seen my fair share of “terrorists.” And there is not a cut and dry formula for “what they look like.”

I learned a few things:
1. War is an ugly thing. It causes people to do bad things regardless of their original intentions. The people who want war the least…are the soldiers who have to fight it.
2. You never know what tomorrow will bring. Live for the day and enjoy what you have, before the sun rises another day your world may be turned upside down.
3. The AF clearly treats people better than the Army.
4. Most people just want simple things in life, a decent place to live and work and to be able to enjoy their family.
5. If people do not take responsibility for their own actions or at least take notice of the actions of the people around them – really really bad things start to happen.

To hear more you have to come visit me in person…and bring beer.

Back to the Family

I landed about 1300 at Baltimore. Then we talked our way onto a flight to Boston just a few hours later (instead of the next day). There was a nice reception of USO volunteers clapping and cheering when we left customs and entered the terminal. It was very honoring.

Of course the most exciting homecoming was at Boston when I fainally saw the kids. Here's a pic of the whole fam. K had the kids all dressed up in red white a blue. It was awesome.

Last but not least the whole neighborhood was out waving flags and banners to welcome me home.

More later when I have a few minutes to catch my breath. Just wanted to make sure you guys knew I was back home.