things we know about maryland

1. traffic is a favorite past time of marylanders and d.c.ites alike.
2. chesapeake bay is nasty. like the sound used to be before all the dumping bans... maybe worse. hannah says its gotten better. jellyfish seem to like it.
3. annapolis is the cutest little colonial town.
4. the naval academy has the biggest chandeliers i've ever seen.
5. i get really hot. this wasnt a problem on boats between the breeze and the big wet thing always ready to jump in. this is a problem in d.c. whew. tip of the hat to you southern bred folk.
6. it ends up hannah likes to read afterall. she picked up her first novel in a long time. (that has very little to do with maryland)
7. people we know who live in d.c. and md rock. shout outs to chantal, brigitte and ethan and more to come.
8. hannah, chantal and i are pretty much great plumbers. watch out mario bros.

one day we'll continue driving. not today. we're spending the night in tuckahoe state park. date night, face time and resting. (note joke on how to tuckahoe in...)

pics:
tent and trees
the boat john smith explored the chesapeake bay in (replica)
chantal knight
passenger at rest while stuck in traffic

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Brooklyn: Lu Style

Let me tell you a little story about my dear friend Lu. Lu and I met the first day of college at Mount Holyoke. She walked into the first floor of our dorm, walked up to me, looked me up and down and we both realized we were either going to be enemies or a whole lot of trouble. Lucky for us (and not all that surprising since we all know that I would love to be friends over anything) we're the most trouble. Add a Chapin into the mix and we hit a whole new level.
Our first official stop heading West was a night with Lu in Brooklyn where she was born and raised and has returned to after a few years in France teaching and you know, playing pro-soccer, no big deal. Some of you might remember a story about a little Brooklyn girl we took camping a few weeks ago - much ado about bears, well, Lu i is that little Brooklyn girl. Where bears are terrifying Lu strides down the streets of New York like any low-lifes should fear her; and they probably should. So Lu takes us out, buys us beers and dinner and escorts us to the West Village where we met up with Tutsky and Becca Love. Because one gay bar is never enough we decided to head out for some late night dancing at Stonewall (almost like gay mecca). Two steps in the club, five seconds of dancing and we back into some MHC women - a welcome wonderful surprise - holla Jess, Hannah and crowd.
Rolling into bed super late we rose bright eyed and cheery to greet Uncle John Chapin and Susan for a wonderful send off brunch. Amazing first stop.

Going in the right direction

One week, almost to the hour, after ending work in CT we're driving west! Slowly, given that it's rush hour on 95, but we have run the last errands in New Haven, fueled up with coffee and brownies (thanks, Dad!) after a lovely lunch in Middletown with B's family, and we're off to NYC. No snide comments; we aren't going far but at least we're escaping New England!
~hannah

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What day is it?

It's Thursday for the record but everyday is already starting to feel like Saturday and simultaneously Monday. Saturday because all we really have to do is have fun and Monday because everyday is a fresh start.
We've been joking the Preston is like base camp prepping for our adventure but its not so much of a joke. We're rested and grounded. We had an amazing evening with Hannah's father and grand parents. Hannah has appreciated having them close and I have truly benefitted by getting to know them so well.
Tomorrow we're off to Brooklyn to visit Luisa after having lunch in Middletown with my family. Tomorrow the real adventure begins.

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Blog Names You're Glad We Didn't Go With

Puddle Jumping
Double Espresso On The Rocks
A Whole Lotta ***** Over Here (Sorry for the inside joke - if you don't get it, you probably don't want to)
Dyking Across America
Banana Boat (Becky + Hannah and a serious favorite fruit of mine, bananas)
Moana Journeys (a previous blog I failed to continue)
Everybody On A Move
Fueled by Dinosaurs or The Power of Fossil Fuels  (it ends up regardless of the reality and irony, it made our green hearts hurt.)
The Power of Two
If I Only Had a Map
Tack and Jibe: Weaving Our Way Through Life
Second Star to the Right
Here We Go Again

ZZZzzzzzz

We're exhausted. We no longer have keys to an apartment in New Haven. We do have a car full (legit packed full) of road trip supplies and a super cozy bed in Preston CT visiting Hannah's parents, Bob and Diane. We are completely out of it but super excited to actually be on our way. Onward to the adventures! Onward to our new home!

Heading Out

Yesterday morning an 18-wheeler gracefully wedged itself onto our teeny-tiny New Haven street, took all of our things and drove off. They'll be seeing Seattle before we do, and thanks to Alycia, they will be cozy in our new apartment when we arrive. With that, we're spending tonight with Wendybird and we are off our on journey tomorrow morning. This week's stops include Preston, Mystic, Middletown and Brooklyn. We're not going too far, then again, we don't really feel like we're on vacation yet either.

We promise more interesting post soon and if you're somewhere between New Haven and Seattle, you should let us know where and how to find you - we just might stop by. Time to hit the trail!