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WOW!!! What a time and our host and hostess were the best!!!
Ed and Johanna Lane have a home near us in Hacienda Atenas. Since meeting them, we have grown to be quite close friends. Ed is retired from the NYFD and Johanna is a retired Attorney. One very important thing to note is that they have been married 49 years!! That's correct - 49 years!! Now that is saying a lot for a couple being able to get along well. Ed and Jo invited us to their home in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and to spend some time on their boat "Maine Idea." Stef has always wanted to visit that part of the US, and her birthday was coming up, so we eagerly accepted the invitation.
We arrived at the New Jersey Airport late at night on the 4th. It's a 2 hour drive from their home to the airport. They were waiting for us at the International Terminal, but for some reason, the pilot took us to another terminal. Thank God they found us!! We got back to the house late, chatted for a bit, and got to bed around 1:00 AM. Really needed to get rested up because they had a real comprehensive schedule for us during the rest of our stay.
The next day we were in the recovery mode from the trip. That night, Ed & Johanna hosted a dinner with friends and family who we knew from visiting their home in Costa Rica. Everyone had a great time and the food was wonderful.
The following day, Captain Ed and Admiral Johanna were ready to board ship and head out to sea. The deckhands (us) were excited and ready to join them. The "Maine Idea" is a great boat. It is a one of a kind designed and built by Joel White. It's a 1982 50' wooden trawler, that they keep in immaculate condition. This boat is Ed's baby. Check it out - We got to the boat about mid-morning and headed out to Block Island, which was about a 4 1/2 hour run from the home base.
Martha's Vinyard - We headed out the next day early to sail to Martha's Vinyard where we stayed another couple of days on the boat. I've always heard about this very famous place, but had never been there.
Well, we were in for a real treat. The island is everything we had heard about, and more. On the first night, Johanna's brother Anthony brought us over Maine lobster for dinner, which was fantastic. Anthony has a home on the island, and he lent us one of his vehicles to explore the sites here. The next day, we toured several small towns here and did a little shopping. That night, we went over to his house for dinner where his wife and Johanna made a fantastic dinner to celebrate Stef's birthday. Good conversation with great friends. For more pictures - Click here - To see the website Click here - The next day we headed out for:
Newport, RI - It was about a 4 hour trip where Ed decided that I should pilot the boat for awhile. Now, I am a very experienced lake and river boater, but this is entirely a different game. I have never piloted a boat like this especially in seas where the swells were pretty significant - They were to me that is. Ed finally relieved me of that duty and took over the controls, which allowed me to breathe a little easier.
We arrived at the marina in the early afternoon and got the boat moored. God, there were some pretty big yachts there. In fact, the largest privately owned sailboat was docked there, and it is impressive. - We got a water taxi, and headed into the dock to go check out the town.Newport is a neat town with that old Northeast flavor where you wonder what it was like living there 150 years ago. We strolled around for awhile then stopped into a place for a bite to eat. That night, we ate on the boat and just relaxed. Click here to see pictures of Newport and many of the neat boats. To see information on Newport - Click here to go to the website.
The Trip Back to Old Saybrook - We only stayed one night at Newport and headed back home the next morning. It was an interesting trip and very relaxing. Of course, Ed didn't trust me to pilot the boat much this time. Check out these pictures to see some of the neat scenery we were fortunate enough to observe. There were some huge mansions along the shoreline and many other neat things to see.
We got back to the house late afternoon. Everyone was tired so we had a quiet dinner at the house. The next day, we spent time looking around Old Saybrook and doing some shopping. That night they put on a BBQ for us, again with friends and family. Stef and I also had to get packed for the flight home the next day. Don't forget, it's a 2 hr drive to the airport. The next day we were headed back home to Costa Rica.
Ed & Jo were a huge part in providing one of the best vacations we have ever had. And, I know that they made sure that Stef definitely had the best birthday of her life. You can't ask for better people.
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