East Hampton, CT

Some of the retirees at the breakfast get together

On Wednesday just before we left, we were able to go to the monthly breakfast gathering of the Hooksett GE retirees. Jim has been to a few over the years but this was my first time. I knew only 2 people there, Ken and Cathy Swenson, who have a summer camp in the north country, not too far from our house. Everyone was welcoming and it's always nice to meet new people. It was especially fun to hear a few stories of Jim's escapades while he was employed at GE.

On Thursday we left from Jim's son's house in the Concord, NH area. Our first stop was to visit friends in E. Hampton, CT. It was a LOT warmer there! We stopped by a garden center which was all decked out for the holidays, selling Christmas trees, wreaths and other decorations. One very nice thing about living in a small space for 4 or 5 months is that there's no room for extras, even though I was surely tempted to buy some decorations. Saves money too!

Paul's and Sandy's Too, East Hampton, CT

We often park our RV for a few nights at people's homes through boondockerswelcome.com which is a network of RVers who offer space for an RV in their driveways, fields, etc, providing a safe place to spend 1 or a few nights. We've hosted many people at our home as well as utilizing this service ourselves while on the road. We've met many wonderful people and made some new friends as well. Like our friends Robert and Carey from East Hampton, CT, who stayed with us last spring and again in the fall. Jim grew up in Milford, CT, so he and Robert had a lot of familiar places to talk about. They invited us to stay with them on our way south this winter.

Carey is a volunteer with vetdogs.org. The dogs begin life being cared for and receive early training, from 8 weeks old, by prison inmates, also spending time with various families for socialization before beginning their "formal" training. Margie is a 14 month old black lab who will spend weekends with Carey and her family for the next 3 months. Carey will socialize her by taking her everywhere so she becomes used to all kinds of situations and people. Margie is as sweet as you could want in any companion and will make someone a wonderful service dog.

Carey, Robert and service dog in training, Margie

This is the explanation of the program from their website:

"The service dog programs of America’s VetDogs® were created to provide enhanced mobility and renewed independence to United States veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders with disabilities, allowing them to once again live with pride and self-reliance. Not only does a service dog provide support with daily activities, it provides the motivation to tackle every day challenges.  

VetDogs trains and places service dogs for those with physical disabilities; guide dogs for individuals who are blind or have low vision; service dogs to help mitigate the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder; and facility dogs as part of the rehabilitation process in military and VA hospitals.

It costs over $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog; however, all of VetDogs’ services are provided at no charge to the individual. Funding comes from the generosity of individuals, corporations, foundations, businesses, and community organizations.

Once they make the decision to get a service dog, applicants become part of VetDogs’ open and welcoming community. Students will come to our 10-acre campus in Smithtown, New York, for our two-week in-residence training program. Classes are kept small to ensure personalized attention for each student and their new dog. Over the course of the time spent with us, the student and dog bond and learn how to work together as a team. They are supported with an uncompromising commitment to excellence, from highly empathetic and certified trainers to a meticulously constructed curriculum."

This is certainly a worthy organization. To find out how you can help, visit their website, then click on "how to help" from the dropdown menu.

We left E Hampton and drove several hours to E. Stroudsburg, PA, where we spent the night at an RV park, Timothy Lake South. Many parks are closed for the winter, but this one happens to be open year round. We were able to empty our tanks and rest up for the night before beginning our journey southward. Next stop - Charles Town, WV.