From June 23 to June 25, the 3 of us went on our first trip outside the area for 2018. Ellen and Eileen were invited to a baby shower in Norwood Massachusetts for my niece in law, and we figured why not have all of us go. We left Islip on Saturday at around 11 to catch the 1 PM ferry from Orient Point to New London. Then once we got into Connecticut we headed north on I-95 until we got to the Boston metro area. Our hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott, was off of Route 1, and it was a short ride on US 1 to the hotel. Once we arrived we checked in and relaxed. In the evening we went to the One Bistro restaurant at the Sheraton Hotel, across US 1 from ours, and we met my in laws and friends there for a nice dinner. The next day was Sunday and I went to church for the 3 of us, at St. Catherine of Sienna Church in downtown Norwood. Then it was back to the Courtyard for a nice nap before we went back to downtown for the baby shower at 11 am. It was held at the Olde Colonial Café, on the other side of the Town Hall from St. Catherine’s. This was the first time that I saw men at a baby shower, because besides me, all 3 of my nephews, my brother in law, his family friend, my nephew’s friend, and my niece’s’ dad and step dad were also there. There was a nice brunch and then the gifts were opened and shown to all of us. When everything was over, Eileen and I went for a nice walk around Norwood to get some exercise. We would come back to downtown later in the evening to have dinner at a nice Italian eatery called Olivadi, down the block from the post office. Like at One Bistro, this dinner was also great. Then after dinner we said our goodbyes because on Monday morning we would be heading home. After we checked out on Monday we headed back to New London for the 1 PM ferry to Orient Point. Once back in New York, we stopped in Greenport for a nice seafood dinner at Crabby Jerry’s, one of the less formal restaurants affiliated with Claudio’s. Once home we unpacked and uploaded the photos to the computer. Then Eileen & I headed to the library to return items, and takeout a book and DVD’s.
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On August 30 Ellen, Eileen and I went out to the East End with Ellen's former Red Cross coworkers, Bill E. and Ellen R. Our first stop was the Big Duck historic site on Route 24 in Riverhead. It's a large duck shaped building that used to sell duck eggs and meat back when there were duck farms out east. Now it's an historical site and a souvenir stand. There were some neat item for sale so we treated ourselves to a key chain, tee shirt, and a trivet. Then we headed to Case’s Place, a restaurant on the Peconic Bay in New Suffolk. I enjoyed some New England Clam Chowder, scallops, and ice cream. Then we headed over to Route 25 to Wickham’s’ Farm stand and then a winery. Since it was late, most of the wineries were closing for the day so we headed home. On Labor Day, Ellen, Eileen and I went out to Orient Point to board a high-speed passenger only ferry to see several of the lighthouses between Orient Point and Fishers Island close up. Among them were the one on Plum Island, Big Gull Island, Big Dumpling Island, Fishers Island and three near Groton and New London Connecticut. After the trip we had dinner at Orient by the Sea, just down the road from the ferry terminal.
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On September 29th, the 3 of us headed to Beacon NY to my cousin house to meet other cousins and their families, so we could go apple picking. We originally decided on a farm just north of Newburgh, but later we opted for Fishkill Farms nearby Hopewell Junction. Once we got there we parked the car and headed to the orchards. There were several types of apples to choose from, and we ended up picking Golden Delicious, Fuji, MacIntosh, Jonagold, Macoun, and Spartan varieties, and filled up a medium bag. Then we went to the farm store and purchased a jar of apple butter, salsa, onions, a rose wine, and a trivet/coaster. After some ice cream, we headed back to cousin’s house for dinner and to watch NCAA Football (Michigan vs. Northwestern, and Notre Dame vs. Stanford just before we left to head home.
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On October 6th I joined 11 other Engine 2 members for the annual company trip, this time to Mohegan Sun up in Connecticut. We arrived at around 2:45 and then got inside to the lobby around 3 PM. The Company had booked 2 suites, 50702 and 50802. I got 50802 (on the 8th floor). In the evening we all changed to go to dinner at Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse. There were some nice wines to be enjoyed, and I had a chicken dish, and the company officers ordered two seafood towers: lots of shellfish. We could not finish everything. The next day on the 7th I was up kind of late for me and then went down to the Hash House for breakfast, where I joined two of the company officers, a chief, and an ex-chief. I ordered two eggs over easy and coffee, and when it was time to pay, they let me ride free, even though I insisted on giving at least $20. While we were on the grounds, I saw that the police force is run by the Mohegan Tribe, and signs on the buildings reminded us that tribal laws apply there. At around 11 am we checked out and soon were back on the bus heading home.