Road Trip Log: Day 4

Total miles so far: _____(I'll let you know, assuming I remember to check in the morning.)

Location: Taunton, Massachusetts

Warning: drunk blogging ahead

C and I brought a bottle of Shiraz with us, just for fun. Tonight we got into it, plus the bottle we bought at the grocery/liquor store down the street. Here's the funny part: we went to the liquor store to buy a cork screw, having forgotten to bring one. We decided to buy another bottle of wine, just because. We picked a wine, found a corkscrew, paid the nice man wearing a Boston Red Socks t-shirt, and came back to the hotel. When we arrived at the hotel we discovered that the bottle we brought with us had a screw top. The bottle we bought tonight had a pseudo-cork, so we needed a corkscrew for that, but we would have been fine and dandy had we not stopped at the liquor store at all. Oh, and when Superman reads this, he should forget this particular paragraph since he's worried about the money I'm spending on the trip. I'll tell you, though, that it was a cheap bottle of Barefoot Shiraz. We're comparing Tall Horse Shiraz to Barefoot Shiraz. Barefoot wins, IMHO.

We (and by "we" I mean "I") are doing laundry tonight. C is talking to his boyfriend. Have I figured out what to call the sweetie yet? It appears I have not. Anyway, the load of laundry is in the dryer on its second go-round. We lucked out. Our room is on the same level as the laundry facilities in the hotel.

Traveling with someone is a good way to get to know a lot about him/her. C and I are very close, but let me tell you, we're learning more about each other. He is having a bit of trouble with my adventurous spirit. I understand that some people can't deal well with the thought of not knowing exactly what the plan is for tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or perhaps three days out. Only this morning did I make arrangements for our lodging tomorrow night. I was getting a slight bit concerned about it. Poor C was in a tizzy.

Here's my philosophy: life throws unexpected turns. One can not count on one's plans working out every time. It's good to know how to go with the flow, or to fly by the seat of one's pants, or pick your favorite cliche. This is a growth experience for C. When I told him that, he called bullshit on me. Eh, whatever.

Tomorrow's plan has us on Cape Cod, in the elbow region of the peninsula, to visit The Midnight Gardner. I am quite excited about that. He and I got to know each other via blog and email two summers ago, and I have wanted to meet him since then.

I'm so excited to be in Massachusetts. So far, it has lived up to my expectations and more. Reflecting on yesterday, I must say that Schenectady, NY was something of a disappointment. It looks like it was a fine city at one time, long in the past. It's very run down with a distressingly seedy ambiance. Especially the hotel we stayed at. O.M.G. Once I post the pictures... I think I mentioned that in my last post. A-fucking-mazing.

Speaking of pictures, I must tell you about C as a photographer. Remember when I mentioned that he has a vision impairment? Yeah, well, that's not a good attribute for a photographer, either. He does pretty well, all things considered. Kinda. As we have traversed the rolling hills and mountainous areas of the eastern seaboard and New England, I have had to tell him "Hey, this is pretty. Take a picture, dammit." He says that all these beautiful vistas and valley views look a lot alike. Well, after looking at the pictures, I can't come up with a good argument. They do. But all of them are so pretty!!

I have a good feeling about Massachusetts. New York made me a slight bit uneasy, but so far I like what Massachusetts has to offer. I wonder how much of that is preconceived notion...

My, but it's gotten late! Tomorrow is an early day, so I'll leave you now. There is so much more I have to share with you, but it shall have to wait for another time.