Visiting dignitary



Joe Rhodes and his Traipsmobile (in Bethesda)

Quite unexpectedly, we have been joined by our dear friend Joe Rhodes whom we met in Tucson when he was a writer for the Arizona Daily Star for just one year, 1979-1980. We then bonded for life. Joe is a brilliant writer and hilarious human being and for the past two years has been on an odyssey traveling the country in a tricked-out former TV news van which now serves as his home complete with satellite dish, fridge and all of the amenities of home. In fact it is his home. And in it he follows the sun, or rather the lack of sun in the summer and the presence of sun in the winter, to be in optimally pleasing climes year round. That is why it is no coincidence that he finds himself in Maine in August; and came here from Newfoundland, which he says is basically Ireland, full of highly extroverted party-hearty fishermen. He says it is the first time he had to sneak out of a bar because so many people wanted to buy him a drink. Check out his blog Traipsathon. Joe keeps everyone updated on his whereabouts through Twitter and Facebook and if he finds himself in a place where friends live, he is likely to drop in, park the Traipsmobile in your driveway, perhaps do a load of laundry, sleep in a "real bed" and then move on. This is our third visit by the Traipsmobile. He sustains this existence by filing entertainment stories for The New York Times. Speaking of entertainment, Joe has a quite personal connection to the movie Bernie--the story of the meanest woman in Carthage, Texas who was shot dead by her mortician boyfriend and stored in a freezer. That woman, played by Shirley McLaine, was Joe's aunt. Really. Read his NYT Story How My Aunt Marge Ended Up in the Deep Freeze.

Meanwhile we set achievable vacation goals for the day--mine was to do a morning run and then go the beach. Darr's was to find a fresh produce stand. Peter and Franky's were to sleep late, go to the beach and then go on a family-fun-filled trip to Walmart. Going to Walmart is something we would  never do at home, so these trips are strictly associated with mirth and girth.

Native Fruits!

...from this fine establishment