MA - Normandy Farms Camping Resort

We did our final hurrah and winterizing this weekend at Normandy Farms.  We did the same thing last year and chose it because of the amenities including an indoor pool.  This year I threw it out to the crowd at Dog and Trailer, our online camping friends, and the next thing you know we had a rally going!  Much more fun with friends to literally "chill out" with.  Yep, the temps were pretty chilly, but we had a good time.

It occurs to me that I didn't take many pics, but Theo and his friends had a great time riding bikes, hitting the arcade, swimming, hitting the arcade, playing in the game loft, hitting the arcade...and the dogs certainly had a blast at the dog park.  The place is big enough and busy enough that there were always dogs to play with at the park no matter when we went.  I did snag a pic when our boys were two of four black labs playing at one point:

And I snagged a pic of Theo and his friend Ethan in the game loft:

We had an awesome pot luck in the rec hall, and lots of fun chatting by the fire with friends old and new. 

A pic of the final fire of the season...always makes me sad:

Kevin and I also got in a round of disc golf after finishing our winterizing chores...a good reward for figuring out the water heater bypass valves on the Winnie that have a way different configuration than the Visa had - you can bet top dollar that we took lots of pics once we got it figured out!  The problem is that the Chalet documentation skips the detailed stuff on this since the Chalet line is made as rental units.  I guess Winnebago assumes that an RV tech will be doing the winterizing, not the average Joe and Jane.  After getting home we looked up the Access manual online (that's the model that ours is, just Chalet branded), and sure enough it is all there written up clearly with visual aids.  Oh well, we got it figured out and all was well.

Repair: New Microwave

Our microwave was on the fritz.  upon powering up the carousel and light were on, without starting the microwave...then when we did start it - nothing.  Since we dry camp a lot we use the microwave on only 50% of our trips, but still it needed to be replaced.

I immediately saw huge dollar signs since it was a built-in, but to our surprise it was actually a bezel around a countertop model making it appear as a built-in!  So off I went to every store in town with my bezel in hand.  I may have looked like an idiot, but nobody yelled at me for trying it on the floor models and my search paid off when I found Frigidaire model FFCM1134LB at Lowes.  It required a couple of washers as spacers in on one side (that you can't see with the door closed, but as perfect as can be expected and fits like a charm!

NY - Hickory Hill Campground

We weren't at the campground much since we were in town for the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, but it was a nice place and people were very friendly.  We were on site 1, which was a back-in, but convenient for in and out since we didn't rent a car this time around and just drove the Winnie when we wanted to go somewhere.

We did get a chance to squeeze in a round of mini golf, and of course Theo visited the game room and appreciated the cable and wi-fi.

Driving the Winnie worked out well as there was plenty of parking at the Corning Museum of Glass, which was in easy walking distance to all of the race goings-on, including the really cool downtown area. Not to mention, the museum is a wonderful destination in itself!

It was also great having the Winnie with us in town for some down time after visiting downtown and the museum, but while waiting for Theo's appointed time to make a glass project.  And it was also great for after the race when Kevin wanted a nice hot shower and clean clothes.  (and yes, that's an Aliner in the background...reminded us of old times!)  

Super great lunch and super great service at Poppleton Pastries on Market Street:

Museum of Glass pics:

A video of Theo's glass making experience: 

And the final product - a blue and purple pumpkin!  Theo's color choices, of course :) 

And some race pics:

Kevin at the finish line - in the green shorts

Theo and I were assigned the mylar heat blankets.

And we got to see the medals before the runners did!

All hand made glass, made right there in Corning!

VT - Woodford State Park

We were on site 66 at Woodford State Park in Bennington VT for Labor Day weekend.  A great site that we have been on before, not far form the campers beach on Adams Reservoir in the Green Mountains.

It was a rainy weekend, on an off showers and thunderstorms, but we made the most of it and did a lot of fun stuff despite the weather!

Theo walked on water...well, OK, maybe not, but this little "island" of rocks is cool:

We had fun swimming and playing with our new inflatable SUPs:

Took a couple of nice little hikes with the puppies:

And we rented a car and hit Bennington for some fun at the Garlic Festival: 

And Hemmings Motor News:

And The Apple Barn:

Decor: Storage Ottomans

These things are so useful!  Based on a recommendation on RV.net I bought this pair of Storage Ottomans form QVC.  So worth the $50 for them.  Since the cab doesn't have a whole lot of storage cubbies like our Tundra did, one ottoman is dedicated to atlases, maps, our canister of Jelly Bellies (a must-have for driver and co-pilot during the drive) and the windshield cover when not in use.  The other holds Theo's collection of DVDs and other miscellaneous junk wonderful items that a 9 year old acquires...including a few rocks a la Lucille Ball in "The Long Long Trailer" :)

The other nice thing is that we put one between the seats in the cab to keep our dogs at a safe distance from the driver and the top flips over to a nice tray, which is convenient when the ottoman is up in the cab.

CT - Hammonasset Beach State Park

We had a nice end-of-summer beach weekend close to home here in CT.  We're not huge beach lovers (we tend toward lakes and woods), so we kind of forget that this is a fun option so close to home!

The weather cooperated and gave us nice days with cool nights for great sleeping.  No hook ups, so it was nice to have the cool nights for sleeping without the crutch of A/C.

We were on site 20 in the Mohawk loop.  Nice spot that backed to some tall grasses.  View from the front of the site:

View from the back of the site:

This is a very open and busy campground, not a place to come if you don't like to see and hear neighbors or don't love tons of kids riding around on bikes, scooters, and skateboards.  Luckily we had our own pair of kids on skateboards (rip sticks, actually) since Theo brought along his friend, Baden.

The boys had a great time at the beach!

And rip-sticking some more!

And goofing around while showcasing a beautiful sunset :)

And I stopped to snap a couple of pics during my morning run: