• He is very friendly and easy going.
• He is quite cute and women stop us in the street to say hello, so you guys out there: GET ONE LIKE FAIZEL, HE ATTRACTS WOMEN LIKE A MAGNET.
• He is well on his way to training us to cater to his every whim - I hope he he considers himself lucky!

• Asheville - Many people had recommended it for its beauty and artsy population. Our impression was that maybe it was like that 10-20 years ago, but now it just seemed like a busy, medium sized city.  We found places we really liked near Mt Mitchell Golf Course at affordable prices, but it was 16 miles to the nearest grocery store, there were no year-round restaurants any closer, and the area only had 100 people in the winter - maybe in 20 years...! The top house at left was attractive, but might flood in a heavy rain.
• Blowing Rock - A charming, hilltop resort town near to a planned Google data center.  We have included this on our 'shortlist' even though we did not find a house that exactly matched our desires. The bottom one at left came close, but again was miles from civilization.

Maryland - After 10 days on the road, we have alighted near Annapolis which we left in October, 1992 on our world cruise.  We will visit a few friends before heading West to expand our house-hunting horizons.
 

And with Sailing Friends - A call to Alan and Betsy and we had an invitation to share a meal with them at the new Eastport Yacht Club in Annapolis - clearly they have the best view of the Chesapeake Bay of any commercial place in Eastport.  We had another evening of conversation, story telling, and reminiscing about the years since we have seen each other.

A Quick Trip to Connecticut - While on the East Coast, Bob decided to visit good friends John and Karen, last seen about 30 years ago.  It was a great visit as we stayed 2 days at their country home in Pound Ridge, NY. They looked wonderful - enthusiasm and good living collaborated to make them act and look younger than their years.  In the intervening 30 years they brought up 2 wonderful children who are now doing the same - we were glad to share a little of their time.  Being an architect, John has decorated their house with good taste - and the living room was graced with an Eames chair and ottoman, a well-respected piece of furniture and one lusted by Bob over the years.

Faizel - Our cute Dandei Dinmont has solidified his grip on our affection and his control over our time.  Daily walks, brushings, feedings, and checking for ticks have diverted our time from less worthwhile pursuits - like maintenance, surfing the web, etc. 
 

Annapolis - America's sailing capital was our point of departure 14 years ago, and we felt it deserved a quick look-see!  Stops included:

• Mears Marina, our home for 4 years before we dropped the docklines as we worked and got ready for our adventure.  Desiree, an office worker when we left was now the marina manager but was the only familiar face around.
• Davis' Pub; still a good place for a beer and a crab-cake sandwich - and they are pet-friendly with several outdoor tables!
• Fawcett's - Known as Tiffany's for their great selection of chandlery and high prices; the shelves were looking a little bare and friends told us they were having a hard time -  it was still good to smell new boat gear.

Wlliamsport - Bob then took his turn and we headed north to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, his childhood home on a farm on the outskirts of the Home of Little League Baseball.  The old family home was still intact and looked like it had changed very little. In fact the neighbor's barn, where Bob and his playmate Ron upended a cart behind a pony - causing more mental trauma than physical damage, was still in the same shape as it was 55 years ago.

Altoona - Bob and his family often visited Bob's paternal grandparents in Altoona, once the world's largest railroad repair facility and we checked out their house.  It stood, pretty much as it did when they built it in 1903 or thereabouts - but it looked in good shape.  We stopped the owner to chat and it turns out he bought it when Bob's grandmother vacated it in 197??. He was taking care of his grandchildren so it sounds like the sturdy little brick home has provided shelter to 6 generations so far! The house and grounds of this modest row house were in very good shape, although the tiny garage that Grammy used to park the big Lincoln was falling down!

Martinsburg - Bob's maternal grandmother used to live in a big brick house on the main street in this quaint village of 2000 where a house still costs less than $100K. The house was still there, unchanged and only missing some shrubbery.  She was the editor of the local newspaper in the 1940's-1960's and the owner still remembered her - and gave us a couple of special issues with her history and nice stories about her.

Back on the Road - By the end of the week we were back on the road, making 200-300 miles per day in a generally Westward direction. Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana and a corner of Illinois flew by at Interstate speed limits so now we have alighted in Wisconsin, never visited by either of us. Next week we'll be in the real Midwest and will slow down to smell the hay and cornstalks.

Faizel's Status Report - The training of my keepers is going well! They now look for restaurants where I can sit at their feet (hoping they will drop a morsel) rather than leave me in a hot car.  Also they are beginning to look like true pet owners - plastic bags sticking out of their pockets waiting for me to ... never mind!  I'm sure they will improve, so stay tuned.
 

• Sturgeon Bay - home to Palmer Johnson boat builders and more
• Fish Creek - shops galore, a tidy marina downtown, great lake views.
• Ephraim - small vacation village with scarecrows on bikes (see Home page)
• Ellison Bay - home to Linden Gallery an Asian art gallery owned by very young interesting couple who have traveled extensively in the Far East
• Northport - ferry terminal to reach Washington Island
• Farms Too - besides the towns, Wisconsin is famed for its dairy farms, and picturesque ones abounded on the rural county roads

We were really attracted to the area, although it has limited cultural activities and the winters would be good for cross-country skiing, but not much else.

Cross-state Drive - We took two days to cover the 280 miles to Bayfield, and ducked into the Upper peninsula of Michigan to get here.  Our route took us along the shores of Lake Michigan, through miles of forests, past countless lakes, and in and out of time zones.  We stayed at a state park that gave Faizel a well-deserved chance to threaten any chipmunks that dared to get close and gave us a peek at deer in the woods.

Bayfield - Another cute town, this time we have settled in for a few days.  Bayfield (population 600) is on the shores of Lake Superior and would be an enjoyable place for the summer - it has clean air and water, several marinas with lots of sailboats in the 22-35' range, housing prices in a reasonable range, and a little culture:  the Big Top Chautaugua just down the road has acts ranging from local poetry readings to B. B. King and Garrison Keilor.

Apostle Islands - Offshore from Bayfield are about 20 islands providing a wonderful, protected boating area - open to the breeze but with short fetch to keep waves small.  We took a 4-hour cruise and had an opportunity to see how good they would be for sailing.  Scores of sailboats were on the lake on a brilliant Saturday despite the whitecaps kicked up by the afternoon 15 knot breeze.  At the north end of Devil Island are sea caves - red layers of sandstone losing a battle with the lake waves.  On a smooth day kayaks come several miles from the mainland to weave in and out of the fascinating formations.

Faizel's Status Report - Day 751: My captors continue to torment me with bizarre rubber squeek toys. They eat lavish meals in my presence while I am forced to subsist on dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of eventual escape... that, and the satisfaction I get from occasionally ruining some piece of furniture. I fear I may be going insane.