Monthly Archives: August 2021

Road Trip, Part 4

Next up, after a month of renovations… Southern Maine, to visit my nephew, Todd, and his family. And, oh, yeah, a family reunion! But first: Let’s pick some blueberries! OMG, they were thick! 3 of us picked a whole flat (modeled by my lovely niece, Jennifer) in way under an hour!

We spent 2 weeks enjoying the pool and some good food – I got to make my Southwestern Cobb Saladl – it was a hit!

On another day, we visited Smiling Hill Farm, a local dairy that was started back in 1720 – lot of animals to see and pet, and delicious ice cream. I had coffee oreo; I told my great niece that it came from cows eating oreo cookies with a cup of coffee (I don’t think she bought it).

And then, the main event: Family Reunion! Not everyone could be there, but alot made it. My niece, Lisa, made a beautiful chacuterie board, I made Cowboy Caviar, and my niece, Barbara made my Mom’s famous chocolate cake, decorated with flowers from her garden. And don’t worry, we had lots more food: shredded pork, beef, and chicken, cole slaw, salad, and more!

The family:

June Billington family: Top Row: Lisa, Lee, Michael, Amy, Todd, Jennifer, Tina, Brent, Barbara, and David, Middle Row: Susan, Gail, Peggy, Bill, Mary, and Jeanne. Bottom Row: Anderson, Reagan, and Jacob.

Immediate family (siblings and their children). Not pictured: Brian and Marco:

And the last shot: a re-enactment of a very old picture:

Road Trip, Part 3

Rhode Island! First, a month at my sister, Mary’s house in Richmond. She and her husband are planning the next chapter of their lives, with David retiring and they are going to sell their house and move to Maine. There is a bit of work to be done to get a house ready for the market and they have asked my talented brother, Bill, to help. During our time there, one bathroom was completely refurbished with new flooring and fixtures (sink, toilet, and shower), the second bathroom got a facelift with new flooring and paint, one of the bedrooms was repainted, a lot of walls were prepped, a bunch of boxes were packed, and the outside of the house got new shutters and a fresh coat of paint. There is still a lot to do, but they hope to have the house ready to sell this fall.

Bill and Susan parked their fifth wheel in the backyard, and Mary offered me a bed inside.

It wasn’t all work, though! Rhode Island offers up some amazing food, like fresh strawberries and lobster! It doesn’t hurt if your nephew works on a lobster boat!

And, when you had your fill of lobster, your niece, Barbara, shows off her pizza-making skills!

After a month, it is time to head north – to Maine!