This is a trip of firsts:
First game rainout.
First time I wore pants. I mean long pants. I mean I usually wear shorts. Never mind. It's been cold and rainy.
Random observation from Randy:
"Next year, let's do this in summer."
We left Scarborough, disappointed that we did not see baseball in Maine. However, we did stop at the Dunstan School for breakfast on our way out of town. Apparently, it's a cooking school. Every morning they serve a breakfast buffet to the public for a nominal fee. It should be less. It really was mostly meh. Even the coffee was bad. It's a sorry state of affairs.
The Dunstan School: diner on left, school at right.
We traveled west from Maine through White Mountain National forest in New Hampshire. Here's some of the beautiful scenery we witnessed as we rolled westward:
Covered bridge.
Mist on the mountains.
Road through the forest.
Our destination is Burlington, Vermont, to see the A ball Vermont Lake Monsters face the State College Spikes. The Lake Monsters are an affiliate of the Oakland A's, which means these kids were drafted by Billy Beane. You know, the Money Ball guy. The Spikes belong to the St. Louis Cardinals, another organization known for developing talent. Every Oakland A's minor league team is in first place right now...except the Lake Monsters. They are in last, and they are terrible.
They lost 7-0, and they got their first hit in the eighth inning. We thought we might see a no-hitter, but it was not to be. However, it was Freihofer Night at the ballpark. Freihofer, you might ask? I did. Froheimer is a local bakery, and every patron with a paid attendance received a sweet tote bag with a box of chocolate chip cookies. Oh yeah.
Well yes, the Lake Monsters have a mascot. His name is Champ, for Lake Champlain. Legend has it that there is a sea monster at large in Lake Champlain, and I think he was a subject on that stupid reality show...River Monsters? You know, that guy goes around hunting dangerous fish monsters but and the end of each show it's a letdown because all he really finds is a normal fish? That's the deal, I guess. Anyway, I didn't want to wait in line to get my picture taken with Champ so I had Randy take a picture while I photo-bombed him signing a kid's mitt. The security guard next to Champ thought I was a predator or something and he kept checking me while Randy was setting the camera.
What in tarnation is going on here? Favorite Town Name:
Orange, VT
Favorite Signs:
Hooker's Plaza
Welcome to Richmond, Home of the Round Church
BTW: The Vermont Lake Monsters play at the University of Vermont's home baseball field. We got to the game two hours early because we thought it was a five o'clock game. So we took a stroll around the campus. Here's an old administration building:
But I also saw this house just across from the baseball field, with a message painted across its front:
It says, "Cut Consumption Not Foreskin!" What does that mean? I like the paint job, too. Actually, I had to google it and this is what I found:
http://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/whiskey-tango-foxtrot-why-does-a-house-across-from-burlingtons-centennial-field-tell-passers-by-to-cut-consumption-not-fore/Content?oid=2140872
So here are a few pictures of historic Centennial Field, as it is known:
Afterwards, we took the ferry across Lake Champlain to Plattsburgh, NY, because there are about 7,000 hotels there. And not one of them had an open room. It seems there was some kind of fishing competition going on, and every room was booked. Of course, there is no other city close by remotely large enough to support a motel. We found a Marriott Courtyard at about 2:30am.
Random observation from Randy:
"Let's not go to Quebec. I don't have the patience for French people right now."
Tomorrow: Canada.
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