Just 35 days till the 1998 Collectors Reunion commences on October 2 in Providence. I'll be heading to Providence on 9/28 and taking the motor coach tours on Wed & Thursday and Friday morning to Rose Island. My wife and son will be flying in on Friday afternoon and the Monday after the reunion, we'll all be on the Portland Head coach tour.

But once that trip is over, we're looking for things to do and see in New England until 10/14. Ideas would be appreciated. (Mostly non-lighthouse things - I promised my wife.) We are planning to do Plymouth MA; I remember there are a LOT of outlet stores in Maine somewhere, but which city? I'm not sure how much time we want to allocate to Boston, but what ideas do you all have?

And we'd like to hear what others' travel arrangments are too.



[This message has been edited by JChidester.]

To help with one of your questions...

Kittery, Maine is outlet heaven at the "Kittery Outlets" off Rt.95 with 120 different outlet shops. Kittery is close to the southeast border of Maine adjacent to New Hampshire. The link is:

http://www.thekitteryoutlets.com

While in that general area, try spending some time across the border in historic Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Try taking the 3 hour harbor cruise to the Isles of Shoals. It stops over for a 1/2 hour walking tour on Star Island, as well as cruising closely by Whaleback Light, White Island Light, and Portsmouth Harbor Light. Usually the seals are tanning themselves on the rocks also. The Portsmouth Steamship Company runs the tours. The link is:

http://www.islesofshoals.com

and the city of Portsmouth's home page link is:

http://www.portsmouthnh.com/index.cfm

Another outlet area is Freeport, Maine. Just 1/2 hour north of Portland along Rt.1. It includes the huge L.L.Bean store, and approximately 100 retail stores and outlets close by. 2 Harbour Lights stores are downtown also. One of the Freeport links is:

http://www.freeportusa.com

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-RodW

[This message has been edited by Rod Watson.]

Sue and I plan to leave the day after the daughter's wedding (9/28) and drive out. Should be nice to have a cah. (practicing to sound like a native)

We'll be 'in the area' for 2-3 weeks or until the money runs out. Besides the Reunion I haven't a clue what we'll do, but I suspect at least four things will happen. One - we'll see a bunch of lighthouses, two - my wife will buy a sweatshirt with a picture of a lighthouse, three - I'll lose a lens cap, and four - all over New England we'll keep running into people we met at the reunion. :-)

Any books on New England lighthouses as good as the Penrose books for Michigan? Little maps and directions really help.

Watching seals tan sounds like fun. Don't want to miss the big Six Flags 'Oh My Gawd She's a Witch - Burn Her, Burn Her' ride.

Rgds,
__
/im [geek on holiday]

Is this like an Oxymoron? Or mutually exclusive or something? I thought weddings were supposed to automatically run you out of money as Father of the Bride?

Congratulations Tim, you're not losing a daughter and a tax deduction, you're gaining someone else who will take care of her instead!

Best wishes to the bride and groom!


John




[This message has been edited by JChidester.]

We're flying to Providence on Sept. 30 and spending 10 days in New England after the Reunion. I too promised my loving wife Kim this wouldn't be a lighthouse-only vacation (hello St. John) although I'm sure we'll visit many. One of the most exciting activities we plan is a day of whale watching off Cape Cod. The web address of the whale watch site is: http://whalewatch.com

I can also recommend the following whalewatch in Newburyport, MA. They offer an outstanding tour. http://www.newburyportwhalewatch.com/index.htm

Oh man you're so right. Why do you think I've been eating cat food for the last 6 months. Haven't lost a pound.

Rgds,
__
/im [pausing to scratch behind my ear]

You guys have glossed over a very interesting point in John's original post "Ideas would be appreciated. (Mostly non-lighthouse things - I promised my wife)" I'll belive that when I see the pictures. Now let's see here

# 1- Honey, I hear there is a qaint gift shop in Wells, Maine ?
# 2- Hey ! hows about we take in some wildlife today ? they say Whale watching is great from a spot in Cape Elizabeth, maine
# 3-Today I thought we could collect sea shells at the beach ? I'll just turn down this road up ahead - Old Nauset Beach road
# 4- We don't need to stop, we can see it from the car as we drive by - it's just Plymouth Rock !
# 5- I hear from the locals that there is a great resturant over in Scituate, I can't remember the name but if we drive around I am sure I will recognize it when I see it waddya say ? huh ?
# 6- Ok, here is the plan for tommorow, I'll drop you off at the main doors to the outlet mall at 10:00am and I'll park the car and catch up to you guys, but if we miss each other I'll just get the car and pick you up at the main doors at say 8:00pm. Sound ok to you two ?
# 7- but dear everyone else from the reunion is going to Martha's vineyard why can't we ?
# 8- I hear that this time of year that Tom Cruise, The Beatles,the entire cast of Seinfeld, Frank Sinatra and all kinds of other famous people hang out at the Portland Head lighthouse, lets swing by there today and see, how about it ? huh ?
# 9- Sorry about the mix up yesterday, its Bass Harbor where all the famous people hang out.
# 10- Let me make things right tommorow, You two sleep in, I'll get up early and go out and get a box of doughnuts for for breakfast, I'll search until noon if I have to !

Mark Wagner - Where'd you find my script? I didn't even know it was missing!

ROTFLMA

Wow, Thanks Mark.... I've printed it out, folded it up and put it in my wallet.

Only someone who has actually gone through this situation could have come up with all those great lines!!!!

Quoting Rod Watson "Try taking the 3 hour harbor cruise to the Isles of Shoals. It stops over for a 1/2 hour walking tour on Star Island..."

Thanks for the info Rod. Kim and I thought that sounded like a fun side excursion so I called the Portsmouth Steamship Company. This tour doesn't operate after Sept. 30 and the seals have already left for colder water.
What a shame.

Sorry Lamar. We are going to be in Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire from Sept.25 to Sept.30 and are taking the cruise. Never thought about the scheduling after the reunion.

If you are traveling further north to the Boothbay and Pemaquid area of Maine, you may want to try Capt. Fishs' Scenic Nature Cruises from Boothbay Harbor. They have 4 different cruise iteneraries. The one we are taking is a 2 hour cruise past 3 islands, 2 lighthouses (Burnt Island and Ram Island Lights) and then over for a close up look at Pemaquid Point Lighthouse from the water's view.

Most of their cruises run through October. They have a neat brochure with maps of the different trips, and their days and times, etc. (800)636-3244

Freeport, Bath, Wiscassett, etc. are some neat towns along the way to Boothbay. Hendricks Head Lighthouse is also 10 minutes away from the cruise docks.

...Maybe this suggestion will actually help!

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-RodW

[This message has been edited by Rod Watson.]

Thanks Rod for all your helpfull suggestions. Capt. Fish's brochure is on the way.

You guys KILL me! I've been ROTFLMAO! Maybe y'all can arrange for your wives to go shopping during the day while YOU go visit lighthouses. Everyone could meet (or not) for dinner. Mark, if you use all 10, you're going to need a good divorce lawyer (and salt the jury with HL collectors).

All the suggestions have been excellent. The Newport Mansions give you a glimpse at life before personal income tax. (All voters should be required to make a pilgrimage there.) Portsmouth, NH is a VERY quaint old seacoast town. I'm seconding that recommendation. In Plymouth, I recommend dinner at Isaacs (EXTREMELY reasonable fine dining in a relaxed atmosphere...go there early or make reservations for 30-60 minutes before you want to eat) or the Lobster Hut for the best fried seafood around. Both of these are in Plymouth Harbor.
Boston may be worth some time, depending on what you're interested in seeing. If you're into history, the USS Constitution has GOT to be on your list. The Old State House was the original seat of the British gov't when we were a Colony. Most of the signers of our Constitution stood in this building. The Freedom Trail, Paul Revere's house, Old North Church.. Faneuil Hall - all good take-ins for anyone interested in history. Bunker Hill has a great monument and museum and is nearby. Your son is school age, right John? (I wasn't interested much in history when I was school aged, but I find it fascinating now.) If you DO spend some time in Boston, the North End has some very good italian restaurants. The Veal Saltimboca or "Chicken Special" (not on the menu, but always available) with a bottle of Corvo red at Florence's?... Bellisimo! (North Street).

Continuing with the history theme, Steve recommends Mystic Seaport and the bridge at Concord/Lexington (the shot heard 'round the world). It's a loverly area (museum too).

I'll edit this and post more later. Time to chat!!!

New England vacation tips continued.....
The Kittery, ME Outlet shopping can be overwhelming (the size, the crowds, the traffic) so try to arrange that you hit it during the week. Only total masochists should be there Columbus Day weekend. Our Columbus Day is Canada's Thanksgiving and is often Parents Weekend @ the colleges, so you can expect some problems finding on-the-fly accommodations in Northern New England. (We drove from Bennington VT to Albany NY to find a hotel room and ended up driving BACK to the Cape one Columbus Day weekend...) There's a great spot for a seafood luncheon on the left just before the bridge as you're heading north out of Kittery.

The other Maine shopping mecca, Freeport, is also a great place (especially LL Bean - open 24 hrs a day, 364 days a year).

Ogunquit, ME is a beautiful seacoast town/artist colony (expect crowds). Coastal Maine is gorgeous. The water is ALWAYS too cold in Maine for swimming (IMHO), so it won't make any difference in October anyway. We like Booth Bay too. The Black Orchid has great Italian food (dinner only).


[This message has been edited by Lorraine Healy.]

For those of you who plan to visit Block Island,you might want to consider taking the car along. It's a bit of a walk (uphill) to SE Block Light and a long walk to North Light. It's a pleasure to have the car along, but you need a reservation in advance. Schedules and phone number are available at:
http://www.blockisland.com/trn/ferry.htm

Does anyone know of any outstanding gardens open for tours at Reunion time? Other than Green Animals Topiary Garden? My wife Kim's main interest (other than me, of course) is gardening.

Thanks in advance.

For those of you who want to do something other than lighthouses, try Acadia National Park. Cadillac Mt. is fantastic at sunset, (sunrise also for that matter). Bar Harbour is a quaint little town too. It kinda reminded me of a"50's" town for those of us old enough to remember the jute boxes and chevy's. It's a bit north, but well worth the trip. The park has canoeing, horseback riding, hiking , etc. We camped there for 4 days two years ago. (by the way you can see at least three lights from Cadillac Mt.

Another opportunity to drop the family off to ride horses and scoot over to Cadillac mountain to view lighthouses!! Write that one down Mark.

John ["Now honey, you just shop to your heart's content here in Bar Harbor for the morning and Chris and I will take a ride to check out the, uh, er, ocean views."]



[This message has been edited by JChidester.]

30 Days From Today!!

This will be our BUSY day 30 days hence. Touring lighthouses by motor coach and boat from morning till night.


John

YIPEEE!

Thanks St. John. I needed that.

Being from New Hampshire I would suggest taking a drive through the White Mountains (see the famous Old Man of the Mountain) and accross the Kancamagus Highway. In North Conway you can enjoy better outlet stores and NO SALES tax (you'll need to save your dollars for Harbour Lights 1999 releases). Our famous Fall Foliage will be at peak during this time and then make your way to the Lake Winnepesaukee area (Wolfboro, Weirs Beach) catch the boat. All of the prior suggestions are great too and would highly reccommend any of them. Hope to meet you at the Reunion and enjoy New England at this time of year. Herb.

For those of you who are looking for something to do with extra time before or after the HL Reunion in Providence there is a world of exciting things to see and do, just one hour south, in the Groton/New London/Mystic CT area. For a complete listing of things you can contact Mystic Coast & Country Magazine at 1-800-MY-COAST or visit their website, www.mycoast.com
I’ve listed just a few of the things here along with phone numbers:

Mystic Seaport - (1-888-973-2767) A leading national maritime museum which includes a working 19th century seaport village with many galleries and vessels such as the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whale ship afloat in the world, the Joseph Conrad, an 1882 training ship, and the L. A. Dunton, a 1921 fishing schooner. Much of Amistad, the Steven Spielberg film, was filmed here and a replica of that ship is under construction at the seaport.

Mystic Aquarium - (1-860-572-5955) Undergoing a $52 million expansion. The aquarium boasts 24 completely renovated exhibits and nearly 6000 specimens. The famed ocean explorer, Dr. Robert Ballard, is setting up the new Institute for Exploration here at the aquarium.

Mystic Village Shops - Located next door to the aquarium this quaint village offers hours of shopping for everything from antiques and collectibles (including a Harbour Lights dealer, R. A. Georgetti’s) and even toys, fine wines and things from around the world.

Stonington Lighthouse & Museum - (1-860-535-1440) See the real thing, Harbour Lights chose this light for their 1996 Collector’s Society piece, and also visit the many shops and restaurants in Stonington Village, where the lighthouse is located.

Foxwoods Resort Casino - (1-800-PLAY-BIG or 1-800-752-9244) The world’s largest casino has something for everyone, gaming tables, slots, high stakes bingo, fine dining, hotel accommodations, big name entertainment, rides, dancing and the brand new Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center (1-800-411-9671) where you can learn the legacy of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

Mohegan Sun Casino - (1-888-226-7711) Gaming tables, slot machines, high stakes bingo, gourmet dining & headline entertainment. Located across the river from the Mashantucket casino in the town of Uncasville, CT.

Nautilus Museum & Naval Submarine Base - (1-800-343-0079) Walk the decks of the Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine. Follow the evolution of the submarine, from David Bushnell’s Turtle, used in the Revolutionary War, to modern nuclear powered vessels. Located in Groton, CT, just up the Thames River form Electric Boat Corporation where many of this country’s submarines have been, and are still being, built.

U. S. Coast Guard Academy - New London, CT (1-860-444-8270) Home to the Coast Guard training barque Eagle, the tall sailing vessel which once belonged to Germany, in the days of Hitler, can be seen while traveling over the Thames River, south on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge between Groton & New London. This is the only tall ship on active duty in the U.S. government. At the U.S. Coast Guard Museum, explore 200 years of America’s premier maritime service. The collection includes ship portraits, the figurehead from the Eagle and a Fresnel lens, a 10-foot-tall set of prisms initially installed in the lighthouse at Cape Ann, MA.

Ferries from New London, CT to:

Fishers Island - (1-860-443-6851)

Long Island - (1-860-443-5281) Many Lighthouses (Montauk, Orient Point, Horton Point, Fire Island), farm country, quaint towns, antique shops & vineyards.

Block Island - (1-860-442-9553) Home to the famous Southeast Block Island Lighthouse, shops and Northeast Light.

Martha’s Vineyard - (1-860-437-6930) Aboard Fox Navigation High Speed Ferry.

Essex Steam Train & Riverboat Ride - (1-860-767-0103) All aboard for a leisurely ride by rail and water through the natural beauty of the Connecticut River Valley. Along the way see the Goodspeed Opera House, Haddam’s unique swing bridge and Gillette Castle.

There are many more sites to see and experiences to treasure in this part of CT. I hope that this gives some of you the chance to investigate and enjoy for yourself. See you at the HL Reunion in Providence.

-Ron