skip to main |
skip to sidebar
There were tears in her eyes on the day she died
Tears unshed blinding her eyes
Why were there tears you might ask
These tears were for many things she left unsaid
She had no way to express how life made her feel
Things just pressed on her from within and without
There was no helping her with the thoughts in her head
There was no helping her and now she is dead
I wanted to do something special for my birthday which happens to be Rich's birthday also. My granddaughter got married the day before and the actual day of the birthday we really didn't do anything special. On Monday we got into the rental car and headed East. You see I wanted to see the ocean. The goal was Maine but we decided to go to Salem, Mass. first. I thought this shouldn't be so hard, after all the directions said it was like five or six hours away. Not being the driver I didn't think about what driving that long would be like. Being the passenger and sitting for that long was not so ducky though. We did stop several times so that was good. The worse part was not having an actual road map and relying on wi-fi when we could get it and writing down the directions. You see neither one of us has a smart phone. We made it to Salem around four in the afternoon, yes we did not really start out early enough. Walked around Salem but didn't do any of the attractions because of time and money. It was kind of cheesy actually. The walk on the pier was nice though. Got back in the car to head to Maine and of course kind of got turned around; stopped in McDonald's to eat and use the wi-fi, boy did I not expect to be eating so much McDonald's on this trip. Got back on the highway in the right direction and headed to Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Traffic was high and talk about tolls. Trying to take pictures in a fast moving vehicle doesn't really work so I just took in the scenery which was trees and rocks. Note to self take time so you can take a more scenic route. As it started to get later of course the clouds rolled in and it started to rain which is not good on a high speed highway in an unfamiliar place. We exited the highway just before our destination to stay at a Ramada Inn. It was a nice room and they had free wifi, tv and breakfast. Sleeping in a hotel is not easy for me so it was a long night. Spent part of the morning get directions off the wi-fi for the rest of the trip. Ate breakfast which was quite nice and then took off for Old Orchard Beach; of course we got turned around again but quickly found our way. Drove down the strip to where all of the hotels were and the amusement park but it was really overwhelming and so we backtrack a bit to pine something or other. Parked the car and found beach access, walked through the beach grass to the biggest beach I have ever been on. The wind was so very strong and the sun sparkled off the sand until the clouds found it. The ocean rolled onto the beach in greeting as we found our way across the expanse of sand to poke our toes into the frigid water. It was wonderful! The sand was so firm and hard from the waves but if you stood still near the water the sand started to soften and suck your feet it. Rich was loving it. Of course I was on the look out for stuff, shells, driftwood whatever. Tried to take pictures but it was so bright that using a kindle didn't work out so well for me, wish I had gotten my camera back from Eric but oh well. Seriously I should have just enjoy the moment. We didn't stay long on the beach because in the back of my mind was the drive home and since I wasn't the driver it didn't feel right to spend too much time and energy before we began the long drive. I didn't want to leave and wish I had thought it out better to actually spend a few days. The drive home was long but uneventful. We stopped in New Hampshire at a Cracker Barrel to each a late lunch which was delicious and I bought a few souvenirs for the little ones and others. After that it was full steam ahead to get home. First time I have seen the ocean in thirty years so I guess it was worth the stress.
