Road Annoyances

I've done a good bit of driving over  last few weeks.  When Elizabeth and I go together, she does 90% of the driving. I am not adverse to it. She is more comfortable as the driver.

My primary annoyance is that most people follow too close.   This is more true in Connecticut than here at home.  I suppose the nearness to New York City trains them in bumper to bumper driving.  I had plenty of them over these few days,   Getting rid of them is not as easy as the police once taught me when forty years ago  I had to go to driving school after 3 tickets.  They said simply slow down.  Then the tailgater will pass, or at least if there is an accident, it will be at a safe speed.
This works sometimes.  But some drivers are stubborn and would rather just stay on my bumper. 

My goal always on an expressway is to position myself as far away from the small packs of cars as possible and I will change my speed to do that.  I think that accidents are much less likely if I am traveling a long way from cars.  These tailgaters spoil my plans.
On a busy highway I often get behind a truck going the speed limit.  I follow him at a fine distance and most folks who go around me will also go around him right away or as soon as they wake up to the fact of his speed. 

I few times when there was no rear traffic, I just moved into the fast lane and slowed down to let the tailgater pass before I moved back into the slow lane.  That works when there are no cars on the road but the tailgater and me and perhaps a few folks traveling fast in the fast lane and just passing me naturally.

My fantasy is of installing a small jet spray of paint that I could engage with the read window wipers.  It would not go very far, but just be a deterrent in future tail gating operations.

I doubt that the police ever ticket anymore for tailgating.  If I were in police school, I'd ask about that.  I suppose it does not yield the money that catching speeders yields, especially in double fine work zones.

And that is my second annoyance.  I think that if there is a work zone on a highway, someone ought to be WORKING somewhere in that zone.  I suspect some work zones are simply set up as highway speed traps. 

My third annoyance is pickup trucks.  I used to like them.  I used to imagine working men carrying all sorts of interesting equipment in them and listening to Johnny Cash. 
There is no way pick up trucks are driver by working people these days.  At least not working people who need a pickup truck.  There is something in the bed of a pickup truck on the highway less than ten percent of the time.  And even these oversized pickup trucks, something just smaller than a school bus and too wide to pass on a narrow road, carry.....nothing. 
I know if I see a pickup truck approaching in my rear view mirror at twice my speed that it will end up tailgating .  It will get right on my bumper, big and intimidating.  It would be an easy hit for a spray of paint.  So tempting.

In parking lots these pickup trucks take up too much room for me to get out of my van.  In a grocery store lot or a Home Depot lot, they clearly belong but why would someone go to a casino in a pickup truck? 

I did manage to get off the highways some on this Connecticut trip.  I plugged in "no" highways on the GPS mounted on my windshield.  That trip from the Super 8 to Foxwoods was well without highways and even Mohegan Sun seemed fine.  That route 2 is a highway, but it is sparsely traveled in most sections.  Nice.  I may lose at the casino, but I save money on spraypaint.

Last Day/ Stonington lighthouse

note:   As well as posting this, I've added in some photographs on earlier posts from this trip.

I was tired out today.
I wandered down to Stonington.
It was a grand little town on the ocean.  All along the way through the countryside were ancient stone fences and the fieldstone was very large for such structures.  I did not see any animals.
There was free parking at the point where the light house turned museum was located and plenty of sailboats to watch.  I passed on paying $10 for a short swim off the beach.

This is the lighthouse.  It is very different from other light houses.  It is shorter than most and made of stone.  A well is inside as well as a sunken cistern where water was collected and drained for use in the house.

I thought the lighthouse museum was a bit pricey at senior rate $8 for such a small experience.  I think I got my money's worth because since reading Moby Dick, I've been interested in whaling and there were some fishing bits here as well.

This was a pretty cool piece of wood with a whaling theme.

Notice around the fireplace are some fire buckets like those I saw in Wethersfield. They were used to get water to drown a fire.

A fine assortement of cannon balls, and an assortment of whale processing tools.

This was from Hawaii.  It was called hook line and sinker.  Some large fish would have bitten this hook.

Here are some old oarlocks from whale boats.

This was a fairly sad story.  Death was common on the water in those days.

This is very much like the chair from Bernie that I just repaired.

These are views from the Lighthouse tower.  Once up the winding staircase I had to climb a street ladder to get into the section where the light one was mounted.

I walked around behind the museum and saw this very interesting bush.

For a while I sat on the bench just visible beyond this garden.  I could watch the water roll in over huge rocks.  It was a good spot, but the day was too oppressively hot.

MONDAY POKER MADNESS

I spent the day today at Foxwoods, but ended up losing.  No high hands.  I had my best chance in my third hand.  A jack of spades on the river would have given me a Royal and a thousand bucks.
It was fun in part, but all the tables were very tight.  I don't think I want to come and play here again. 
I had a good run of cards in the evening, but all the pots were small.

They had a deal for a free buffet.  Pretty good.  The food was fine.  Some of it was terrible, like the crab legs or the chili, but other food was tasty, like the prime rib and the thin sliced lamb.  I rarely see lamb on a buffet.  The mussels were good as well.

I took the back roads there and back.  Great roads.  There is even a fine looking lake not far from Foxwoods.  The speed limit is just 25 and 35, but the time is the same and there is no traffic, no highways.

All in all I ended up $30 ahead for this trip.  I drank about four scotches and a brandy.  So I got plenty of value this trip.

I played from about ten until ten with just a short break for supper.
Afterwards I did try a bit of video poker at the dollar level, JOB.  I played just one dollar.  I ended up ahead. 

Lobster in the Rough/ Alec Baldwin

I decided to take this afternoon to visit Abbot's Lobster in the Rough.  I misplaced my free chowder coupon.  I thought I left it in the hotel, but I think now that it is buried somewhere in my luggage.  My memory for packing detail is very bad lately.  I work hard on packing, but I am always without something or have packed it away and can't get at it.  Even when I find it one day, and leave it in that space, I don't remember it another.  It is very frustrating.
However, that is why I blog.

I did the same with my camera, so I could not take photos of the boats and harbor. 
But there are some from a prior trip there, and the place has not changed.  Photos are included at this place.
PRIOR TRIPS
It is just thirteen minutes from the hotel, but it is such a winding path to get there.  The first time I found this spot was before the GPS.  I had a bunch of those printed directions we used to use.  It was rough going.  This time the winding route seemed easy.

I was quite hungry, so I ordered the Lobster Select meal which is a 2-2and a half pound lobster.  It must be the largest lobster I have ever eaten. 

It comes with a small bag of not very exciting potato chips and a small half cup of cold slaw, but the crack the lobster perfectly so it is much easier to eat than those in most restaurants.

It was good to eat on the edge of the water and watch the boats.  However, it is a crowded place.  I also ate their own clam chowder made in broth and not creamy or tomato based.  Very good.
Next time I'll bring my own salt. 
The hardest part is that there was a good wind and it was hard to hold on to anything light.  But it was a grand meal if awkward.  I could have sat inside, but I wanted to be right at the water's edge. 
I was full when I left.
In the evening I did not have the energy to go anywhere, so I watched the movie in the earlier post and then a roasting of Alec Baldwin.  It was quite an event. 
At times I like him.  At other times he can be a bit harsh.  I thought he was too hard on Jack Macbayer, really indicating that Jack should not be in comedy and no one would ever see him anywhere again.  He also forgot to thank Bill Clinton.
Clinton was polished and by far the best speaker there.  His jokes sneak up on the listener.  I always like hearing him. 

I could not make the popcorn I brought because there is no microwave in the room.  I ate some of the peanuts in shells, and made fine little bites of peanut butter on red pepper slices, fast becoming a favorite. 
There was plenty to drink that was good and cold.  I had a Zetia ginger ale.
And I had some scotch.
I fell asleep easily, but woke up at five thirty.  I wish I might have slept until 8.

SUPER 8 GROTON

I arrived in good time to get a fine room here at the super 8.  They have Turner Classic movies and other good stations as well.   It is on the first floor and very nice.  It has a standard coffee maker so I can make my own coffee and a little refrigerator holds all the food I brought.


I was too tired to want to go anywhere, so I just drifted back to the hotel and put on a funny old comedy on TCM, poured a scotch, and just relaxed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Springs_Weekend

Nice to see Jerry Vandyke.  He will soon be 86 years old.  What a great life, and how interesting to see how much like his brother he acts.

There is no microwave in this room.  So no popcorn for me tonight, nor can I warm up any breakfast tomorrow.  I'll have to have the cold bits like hard boiled egg and salad.

On the tapes I started Dostoevsky's  Notes from the Underground.  I am enjoying it.  it goes slowly.  I doubt I would have the patience to read it, but I have already heard lines I'd like to have written down.  He is reflecting on spite in part. 

ENFIELD

Elizabeth went to Rochester for Susan Maybeck's daughter-in-law's funeral and so I took off a day early this weekend.
The cheapest last minute day I could manage was the Enfield Inn.   I thought it was about an hour from Mohegan but it actually is more like an hour and a quarter.  It seemed a bit of a ride down and back last night.
Otherwise, it is a fine place. 
I particularly liked the attitude of the owner, a young man who served me at the desk.  I arrived quite early, even for their 2PM check in time, and he found me a room.  To get a room on the first floor I had to take "smoking."  I thought it would not bother me, but I can tell the difference.  the back window did open and I aired the place out a bit and that made it better.
The room has two very large tables, one that holds the television, a stuffed chair, and a very comfortable bed.  There is good electricity with easy plugs on the lamps.  The bathroom is above average.  The refrigerator is small, but it accommodated what I brought in the cooler and the freezer refroze my small bags of coolant.  No coffee maker, but I brought a thermos and there is some in the office in the morning along with basic breakfast things.  I did not take advantage of this small "breakfast" because I had brought food. 
The surfaces of everything were a nice granite like material, thick and decorative.  Very unusual in a cheap hotel.
The television was a unique sort of system.  It had a good search engine and finding stations was easier than most places.  They had Turner Classic Movies.  I watched one with my breakfast.
I did not explore the area much, but I don't think they have the same sort of attractive tourism as Wethersfield and they are farther from Hartford.  They are close to The Student Prince, a grand restaurant in Springfield, and once the casino is built in Springfield, they will be a good place to stay.
The owner explained that when things get sold out in the area, he does not jack up prices as much as other places.  The booking price was better than I would have gotten directly.  He said sometimes this is not the case.


Otherwise, it is a fine place. 
I stopped at The Student Prince on the way down for another taste of crispy pork belly and watermelon/cheese salad.  That was just as tasty as it was last time. 
Enfield is really not very far from that restaurant.  So, if the casino is finished and opens on time around a year from now,  this might be a good place to stay near Springfield.


















The room has two very large tables, one that holds the television, a stuffed chair, and a very comfortable bed.  There is good electricity with easy plugs on the lamps.  The bathroom is above average.  The refrigerator is small, but it accommodated what I bought in the cooler.  No coffee maker, but I brought a thermos and there is some in the office in the morning along with basic breakfast things. 

I had supper at about nine at Mohegan Sun after the 1-1 game tightened up.  I played some 2-4 first and then the 1-1, but only ended up $34.  Then I played some JOB and managed to win $100 by hitting quite a few quads, full houses, and two pair.  So I am ahead so far. 

At the 1-1 was a very friendly guy from Washington State.  There was also some bantering guys and so it was my kind of game.  Next to me sat a young fellow who lived in Rome NY for much of his early life.  He just finished college and is working.  He and his girlfriend are looking for a house and perhaps marriage.  She is Jewish, and he is Catholic.  I told him about all the blended families we have and that the marriages work and that pleased him.

There was a fellow who lives in Lockport.

My best hand was pocket queens which improved to trips on the turn.  I checked to my opponent and he bet $20.  I went all-in for about $50 more.  He called me with trip tens.
The rest of the time I just got slowly drained.
Earlier on the 2-4 I had doubled my $60 buy-in. 
Still, I like the game and had a good time.

I drank about five Dewar's over the course of the afternoon and got a bit tipsy.  So, if we value those at about $8 a pop, I got $40 in alcohol value.  I liked being a bit tipsy and wandering the casino watching the people.

I looked at places to eat, but ended up at the buffet where my poker had earned me $3 comps.  This time I was very hungry and I liked the meal. Mostly I had beef.  The prime rib was excellent.
Next to me here were two attractive women from Enfield and we talked about casinos and playing poker.  I think they were Latin women as I detected a small accent.  They were very friendly and added to the day.

It was a great time.  But I don't think I'd stay so far from the casinos again.  On the other hand the Groton rooms where I go next were about $115 and this place is just $61.  So, it pays even with the added gas.
I've been listening to a biography of Woody Allen on tape.  In the beginning it was quite interesting, but toward the end it seems a bit dull with less insight and more simple listing of facts.  The reader is poor.  He just reads in the same tone at a fast and repetitive pace. 
It must have been written before all the troubles Woody had. Mia is represented as friendly and the review of the children does not mention Woody's connection with

It does a good job of outlining his early life and the development of his talent.  I'd like to see some of the old stand up comedy bits.  They are on Utube.
As a comedian, he developed the persona of an insecure, intellectual, fretful nebbish, which he maintains is quite different from his real-life personality.^[3]
Wikipedia

His devotion to Dylan is developed here as a great parent love.  The affair and marriage with Soon Yi was not mentioned.

Some disturbance next door resulted in some banging and shouting.  Someone was insisting that some missing something must be found.  Rather difficult at 3 AM, but I'm awake anyway.

Cory surrendered at chess, giving me the third win in a row and making me one game ahead in our marathon of chess.

I went to Mohegan Sun for a bit of poker.  It took me forever to get a seat, and then both games were pretty tight.  I left ahead $22.

All I all I suspect I won't stay at Enfield again.  It is just too far to go to the casinos.
I also need to change my sense of the days to go to casinos.  Foxwoods tomorrow had a huge bonus come on.  Sunday night at the hotels is less.  My Super 8 for this trip costs just $50 a night.  That might be a better way to target good playing days.  Tomorrow Foxwoods gives $3,000 per hour in bonus awards.