The Little Caravan That Could: Day 24 - Meandering Up the Coastline - Salisbury, MA

Day 23 - Friday, September 12, 2014 Arriving in Salisbury Beach, Massachusetts

Last night when the Framer walked away it felt a bit dismal. We would have liked it better if he could have stayed with us longer, and the drop-off was rather sudden, so it felt very abrupt. Suddenly, I was driving away and it felt like we were abandoning him on the side of the road. I knew he would be fine because I would have been. If the worst came to the worst, he had a credit card and could call a very expensive cab and get driven to the airport.

Once the GPS got its bearings we drove past the Framer on the side of the road and headed on. The roads were pretty quiet and it was just the outskirts of Boston, so I knew the best thing was to go on rather than park and leave in the morning. So we did. I was rather tired, it being 11:30 PM, but I figured I could go an hour or so north. My map showed that there was a state campground on a beach in Salisbury, Massachusetts, so that was where we were headed. We eventually found this enormous campground very near the beach. It was a shame it was so late, so we couldn’t really see it, but I will say that I would recommend it. It had nearly 500 sites, and had concrete paths, grassy patches, was near the ocean, and was very clean, and inexpensive - about $24 for the night.

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Day 24 - Saturday, September 13 Salisbury Beach, MA - Camden, MA

After a restful night - about 1:45 parking - we had a bit of a late start as the children explored the campground. They were looking for dogs. They know that I have two favourite dogs I am looking for: a Yorkshire Terrier - Yorkie, which I have wanted since I was 15 years old, and a new favourite, a Doll-faced Maltese. They are absolutely adorable! We saw so many Yorkies in New York, but only one Doll-faced Maltese. She was 6lbs and considered a little overweight! She was pure white, and as soft as velvet. I even have my names for when I find my newest babies. My dear Framer hubby informed me the next day that he had been looking at an ad in Chilliwack advertising a ‘small white dog’, and I thought how kind he was, since a dog is not his favourite thing! It was not what I was looking for, as mine would be advertised very specifically, but I was touched all the same that he would look into it for me. I have all the votes of the children, but his is the one that counts.

Driving up the coast, we came to a little town called Hampton Beach, and I not knowing my geography, thought it was ‘The Hamptons’ that the rich and famous visit, so we hopped out of the van for a quick peek. Turned out to be the wrong state - should have been New Jersey. This was just Hampton Beach, Massachusetts.

The coastline was lovely, and very, very long. The homes were similar to the luxury homes of the California Pebble Coast areas. Rye Harbor was another enchanting village. We stopped and the children clamboured on rocks for a while before we headed on.

A few men were waving flags by the side of the road, so we had a stop to see what they had to offer. It turned out to be a World War II watch tower. They are working to keep it open for the public, as the other fifteen have either been bought privately and turned into houses, or neglected and fallen apart. This tower was used to watch for enemy German ships. It never did have to fire it’s cannons.

These Chairs Are For You, Renee, and All The Rest You Will See

That night we pulled into the little town of Camden, Maine. Courage was determined that I get a good picture of the word Camden, since one of our people at church has a little boy named Camden.

That night, given we arrived a relatively early hour we had a huge feast of a meal. Basically two meals in one. Curry and rice, and then Bubble and Squeak - a typical English meal. We ate until we could eat no more, and then because we had internet, I blogged and the children played cards or read books.