Thanksgiving at our Favorite Bed and Breakfast….

Did you know that Maine has not ONE but FOUR State Slogans?
(Another random useless fact brought to you by Chris Miller…sponsored by UselessFacts.com)

Click on Map to see the Miller's Map of Kittery with Places you must try

Maine's State Slogans

"Worth A Visit, Worth A Lifetime"
"The Way Life Should Be"
"Vacationland" (On the license plate)
"It must be Maine"

If you have ever been to Maine, then you know how picturesque it is or how true one of their four state slogans are (do they really need four?). Since coming to Boston, Allison and I have had a chance to visit and really take a liking to a place most people say is really just northern Massachusetts. That might just be, but to us Kittery Point, Maine is a wonderful little town on the coast just north of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which has served as a great escape for us from Boston.

It also just so happens to have a wonderful little place that we have found to stay that is on Barters Creek just off Crockett Neck Road. It is a wonderful Cape Cod style home which doubles as a Bed and Breakfast, with wonderful caretakers (a family actually, with a Weimaraner named Vinny, serving as mascot and protector).

It is truly an amazing place. No reservations needed, no high room rates, the service is out of this world (they may just send you home with a doggie bag from your meals, if your good that is), and if you feel up to it, they will let you play with the snow blower, the kids, and Vinny (not all at once, I think there may be a law against that or they do not want to endanger the snow blower or something).

If you ever find yourself driving along the coast in Maine near Kittery, please drop by our favorite place to stay "The H" (what we like to call it) and say "Hi" to Michael, Barrie, Margaret (aka Maggie, who will be attending either Harvard or Dartmouth soon, she is trying to decide which is better), and Michael, Jr. (aka Cheekers, he smiles a lot.) Also, bring a bone for Vinny the Weimaraner (just like the one in the movie "Best in Show" but the owners are way cooler), some Cherry Wheat Beer for Mike (not sure why he likes it so much), and a nice bottle of red wine for Barrie.

If I have you hooked by my description (and well, you should be), you are now going to be disappointed. It is NOT a B&B, but rather the home of the Hanlon Family. They made the mistake or were kind enough to invite/take-in us Southerners on several occasions, including Thanksgiving, when Barrie made a great dinner (Vinny the dog almost ate the real turkey, not the one below) and she sent us home with a doggie bag with treats for the following day. Also, the picture below was our contribution to the day, besides offering up many thanks for being included in their holiday celebration.

That's right a Turkey Cake, which is going to become a tradition at the Miller's for Thanksgiving

Some how each time we went to the Hanlon's two things happened- apart from having a wonderful time 1.) The Miller's were always late. (The Miller's Late? No, not us!) and 2.) We ended up spending the night.

I am not sure if Barrie or Mike ever extended an invitation to spend the night at their home, but man are we happy they never kicked, especially in the middle of our first Nor’easter, that I kept wishing to see (I got the Nor’easter and a Foot of Fresh Snow and Mike introduced me to his snow blower, Is the snow supposed to hit you in the face?). In fact, they always offered Pie. I guess Pie is a big thing in Maine, Mike kept asking “Hey Miller, want a piece of Pie and a Cherry Wheat Beer?”, now that is a true friend.

From our very first time in Boston on my Birthday in 2007 (aka The Great Lobster Shortage of 2007-No seriously, I think Barrie beat up some old lady at the grocery store to get the last two remaining lobsters in Maine that weekend) the Hanlon's have taken us in and treated us like family.

They always made sure that we had a place to go for the holidays or to get away to for the weekend. They are some of the best hosts I have ever had, so if you get the chance to visit 'The H", DO, it is totally worth it.

Barrie and Mike, if you read this, please keep our room ready- you never know when we might drop by (and as usual invited or not, we are staying the night) and more importantly THANK YOU!

This Blog entry sponsored by Mike Hanlon's wallet and the following establishments:

Popovers on the Square in Portsmouth, NH (the best egg sandwich ever…no kidding….you can not eat just one…just ask Maggie…ok, just ask me)

flatbread company in Portsmouth, NH (great pizza with fresh ingredients, a fireplace, great beer, and a enjoyable tree hugging atmosphere and crowd)

Cafe Mediterraneo in Portsmouth, NH (wonderful Italian food with servings that are huge, not to mention they refuse to serve people who gave up wine for Lent)

Flo's Hot Dogs in Kittery Point, ME (On heck of a Hot Dog and I am not just saying that)

Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier in Kittery Point, ME (A Lobster anyone?)

What is the number?

The number……well……it is 183…..What is 183, you ask? Well it is the exact number of days since my wife's last blog. ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THREE days since her last blog (Yes, that's right, I did it, I threw my wife under the bus). Can you believe the nerve…..

She has not written anything since we saw that wicked rock in Plymouth, MASS. (By now they have moved the rock inside a museum, so it is no longer on the shoreline, and yes, I was about to use the word wicked to describe Plymouth Rock.)

The Millers Top 10 for "Why we have not written on the Blog in 183 Days"…….
10. We actually only went to Boston for a long weekend.
9. We have been camping out at Fenway for a chance at Tickets for a game in the 2008 Season. (We failed by the
way.)
8. We've been hunting for yet another apartment to rent and move to (No kidding, we have lived in 3 separate
apartments in 9 months.)
7. We left Boston for Thanksgiving and never came back.
6. We left Boston for Christmas and never came.
5. We left Boston for the winter and never came back (I think people have done that before. Not a bad idea if you
have ever been in the Northeast for Winter).
4. Chris moved to Brazil.
3. Allison fell into a book and could not get out.
2. Allison is still rejoicing from 1st Semester grades (Four As and a B). She was last seen in Brazil around Carnival
time looking for Chris doing the Samba.

And the Number 1 Reason "Why we have not written on the Blog in 183 Days" is…….
1. We forgot the Blog passwords and it locked us out.

If you were following our blog like people follow the Red Sox's (that is for you, Knickerbockers), Allison is truly sorry for not keeping up with the blog (I think you have way too much time on your hands or a serious problem).

Actually, keeping up with the blog does not fall squarely on Allison's shoulders. Yours truly has not done his part either; I have not blogged for more than 182 days. At least Allison has been attending one of the best schools in the country. What has Chris been doing you ask…..Well, to be honest, other than living on an airplane, not much.

Let me give you a little perspective on my travel (as I think it might actually be a valid excuse after reviewing)... So, since the beginning of the 2008, I have flown just over 70,000 miles, or 2.81 times around the Earth (and we are not yet at the half way mark for 2008). I think a New Years Resolution for 2009 will be to reduce my travel or maybe go to the moon (not sure which one is more realistic in my current position).

That is right I circled this thing almost 3 times but keep ending up in the same places... in fact, it is on the other side of this picture as this is showing mostly Africa

This entry is going to serve as a starting point for a high speed update of the last six months. I promise to provide at least one update for each month that we've missed and get us back on schedule. This will allow Allison to redeem herself (actually, allow her to finish school so she can graduate and, more importantly, keep the job she was offered) and then provide you an overview of graduation and our farewell to Boston (and quite possibly to blogging.) Or at least until I get in to Harvard Business School (now that is a funny one.)

So, that's all for now. Until another 183 days have passed, or until my next post about Thanksgiving and our awesome Bed and Breakfast in Kittery Point, Maine (I will post the address, they do not take reservations…..you just show up and they always seem to have room and one heck of an egg sandwich…).

Goodbye for now from the Millers in Boston (and Brazil.)

Seriously, that's it?

This Veteran's Day weekend Chris and I decided to take a drive down the coast on MA to check out some of the countries most well known landmarks. And so we ended up in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

I've never claimed to be a history buff, by any stretch of the imagination, but I must say that Plymouth, MA was not all that's it's cracked up to be...

I mean, you've got your typical small town feel, paired with a replica of the Mayflower, but other than that, there is not much to do. And the rock, Plymouth Rock that is, happens to be no more than a small, concrete-mended, boulder that sits on the edge of the water. I like to think that it used to be A LOT BIGGER.

Room with a View

Most days this is about all I see of Boston. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a spectacular view of the apartment across the street, but it occurred to me last weekend that experiencing the fall through the (small) window of our apartment just wasn’t going to cut it. It was almost a “Forest Gump” like moment as I watched what could have been the last leaf fall from the scraggly tree that sits across the street. Charlie Brown himself would have been depressed by this sad representation of my first, and likely only, fall in Boston. And so, with that, Chris and I ventured out and saw a little of this beautiful city on a picturesque Fall day in New England.



The Charles River

Don't Forget Your Hail Mary

First and foremost, I did not visit a priest to say 22 Hail Marys, nor did I convert to the Catholic Faith. I did however attended another New England sporting event, but more on my Hail Mary later. This time it was not baseball but football at Boston College (or as everyone up here says, BC.)

A friend of mine from high school lives in Maine and has season tickets with a group of his friends to the BC football games. I was able to attend as one person decided to skip the game on Saturday...Not sure why he skipped the game....I mean...the high for the day was 45 degrees with wind gusts, at the Stadium, of up to 55 mph and driving rain. Who in there right mind would give up tickets to a game on such a nice day...

I can say without a doubt that football in the South is not better per se, just incomparable. The diiference is night and day. BC is having a great year, even though they choked against FSU, (and for the record I cheered for BC, it's time for Ole Bobby to retire!) but the feel of the game was like being at a top rated High School game in South Georgia. The first quarter sucked due to the rain, the cold, and the wind. About the middle of the 2nd quarter it cleared up. It was still cold and windy but at least the rain stopped. Come to think of it, this was my first Nor'easter but without the snow (I want the next one to have snow so I get the full experience of a Nor'easter.)

The BC Eagles lost to the Semi-holes when they threw an interception at the end of the game, which took away the chance for them to score the wining touchdown. It was not like back in the day....they should have had the Flakes...

Back to my Hail Mary. So as I started my 22nd Hail Mary, I noticed that everywhere I looked at the game I saw the #22. It was on the wall of the stadium, on jerseys, t-shirts, and a bunch of posters. Then it dawned on me that The Fans in Boston remember every detail, even at the collegiate level. The #22 was the number of the quarterback who performed the most famous Hail Mary of all: The one and only Doug Flutie (or the man behind the "Miracle in Miami" back on the 23rd of November in 1984, one of the greatest moments in college football.) I think his jersey has to be the best selling one of all time. Pretty crazy thinking that was back 23 years ago.

What time is it?

Let me start out by saying that, generally speaking, I’m all about daylight savings time. I enjoy falling back and springing forward just as much as the next person, but I have a problem. The problem is this: It’s Monday afternoon, and I’m sitting in front of the window, type, type, typing away, as I always do on Monday afternoons, and I see it. Or rather, I don’t see it.

Can someone please explain to me why, at 4:31 in the afternoon, the sun is GONE?

Geesh. Next thing I know it’ll be snowing or something. Nothing like a good snow in the dark to get you excited about winter in Boston...

Oh you Red Sox....They are Truly Crazy!

So as you all know by now the Sox won the World Series.

On Tuesday, after the sweep of the Rockies, the Nation (Red Sox Nation that is) celebrated with a huge parade from Fenway Park to City Hall. The parade ended right at the corner where we live (which is the corner of Irving Street and Cambridge Street.)

I'm not sure that people support and celebrate baseball anywhere else like they do here in Boston. The picture below was taken at City Hall* 3 hours before the parade even started (*a complex close to the place where the parade ended.)

The the parade coverage started at 10am on all of the local channels ndt ran until the 5 o'clock news started. They estimated that over 1 million people came out to support the team, get crazy, and act dumb. (And to make sure that everone knows that "The Yankees Suck".) Not to metion the fact that people were climbing trees, light posts, and stop signs to see the players better and the trophy better.

Above was just across the Boston Common from where we live.

Below is at the corner of our street looking up towards Boston City Hall. This photo does not do the scene justice.

Looking at the next picture you would have thought a bomb went off. Nope- Just the Crazy Faithful that live in Boston...

Faithful to the Sox!!!