the road most traveled for years

These past two weeks I've driven the least of the different 2 week chunks. When I have a chance to rest and stay over, I certainly like to take it. Averie is going to be in Boston soon, not for long, but I am dragging my heels. Right now it is six more days, but that is so long in road trip time! But I suppose I could go up North, camp, and come back, instead of home basing it, which is what I have been doing. Darrah is very kind to have me. And Jill, who is also staying here. Both very kind, lovely ladies!

Now I'm finding things to do in Rhode Island. Yeah, I think I will go camp up north for a few days. I miss camping. Except there are tick warnings and I don't have anyone in my life that could check me for ticks. Decisions.

Well, whatever happens will happen. I don't want Lyme disease though. That isn't something that needs to happen.

So on Tuesday I drove down into Connecticut, nice and proper this time so now I can count it in my state count: 29! Rhode Island will bring me nice and neat to 30. Then it is 18 to go, and that is hardly any number! I want to get to Butte before BT leaves.

I got a medium morning start on driving, but it was still a bunch of driving. Several hours. But it went well. Lots of zigzagging to avoid tolls. I wish telling how much tolls will be was a readily available part of Google Maps, because it just warns of tolls but doesn't say how much. Will it be 6 bucks? 17? 2? If it is 2, I'll pay 2, because I burn more gas driving around, but it if it's a lot then well, screw that.

So I drove to New Haven, where Michael recommended going for art museums, and Yale's art museum was FREE! So that is a done deal. There was street parking readily available, and it was only a buck fifty an hour! But limited to two hours, but that only shaved half an hour off my time at the museum, because parking was covered till 4:30 and the museum closed at 5. They even had free lockers! So I could stroll with just my notebook. And it turns out ~2 hours was perfect for the collection. They had a nice Stubbs, I really dug this Winterhalter. They had a few Eakins as well. I guess Eakins is very East Coast. There was a west coast exhibit with some Thiebauds. Love his work. There was a collection of miniatures and they even provided a magnifying glass to really peer at them. So cool! I love miniature portraits so much.

I drove a couple blocks and parked again and went to the uber Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. A pleeb like me couldn't touch the books, but I could walk around their glass enclosure and look at a Gutenberg Bible and Audubon Folio (also behind glass). It was a very cool building. The exterior was made with some sort of marble that didn't let light in, but sort of glowed in the sun. Very...epic.

I got an iced green tea from Blue State Coffee and sat and read for a bit, then I drove to Mystic, and walked around the seaport a bit. Unfortunately I couldn't get near the wooden boats without breaking and entering. But it was a nice place to watch the sunset. It was an easy drive back. I'm getting an earlier start today.

On Sunday I caught a matinee of Snowpiercer, which was all dystopian and neat and claustrophobic, though it had some shakey cam. Good casting with Alison Pill, Tilda Swinton, Chris Evans, Ewen Bremmer, Jamie Bell, Luke Pasqualino, and others. There were pancakes and chicken too. And we went out for fish and chips on Monday. It was a big platter type meal, instead of individual plates. The sunset in my eyes, but it was still pretty. It's nice out here in Gloucester. Quiet, yet established. It doesn't feel empty like so many towns I have driven through. These East Coast towns are too close to establishment and money and work. Schools.

So. 10am. Rhode Island. But first I must shower.