It was a Five Star Night

Posted on October 13, 2014October 13, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Or a two thumbs up or any other sign approval you can think of. It was just plain fun!

Edaville Railroad used to be a little engine that traveled around the cranberry bogs. The big deal was at Christmas when the bog was filled with holiday lights and a few rides led up to the train ride. Then a couple of years ago the owner announced he was selling out. Speculation was that a condo development was going in and the land that was home to the little railroad was needed for parking. Everyone was sad but then the real estate market crashed and now building a bunch of condos didn’t seem to be such a good idea. Suddenly an amusement park wasn’t so bad after all.

Almost immediately Edaville began to expand. It wasn’t the little Edaville Railroad any more. It was Edaville USA and one of the things that came to pass was Dinoland. Everybody loves dinosaurs so now there were dinos roaming the bog.

This year I noticed they had a big pumpkin spectacular called Pumpkins Aglow! I was hoping to get some nice pumpkin pictures so I planned to cough up the admission because I could use my tripod, something not allowed at Roger Williams Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular.

I was going to go alone but after a stop at Nancy’s house we decided to take the kids along. Oh my , what a great idea! Alex and Dawn had a fantastic time!

I expected it to be kind of tacky but it was not. It was very well done.

The kids wore costumes and the ride operators had costumes too and were handing out candy when you road their ride. Trick or Treat!

The rides are included in the admission price so although it seems expensive at first, it more than makes up for the initial investment. The kids can ride all night for free. Bumper cars, Ferris wheel, tilt a whirl, carousels, and of course the train.

But we had to see the dinos and that’s where Pumpkins Aglow was spread out. In the end I didn’t use a tripod. We went through twice , once at dusk and once at full dark. The dusk was better. You’ll see why in my next post!

Memorial Day Thanks

Posted on May 26, 2014May 26, 2014 by Dusty Roads

As we enjoy the wonderful weather and a day off from work to barbecue and party, take a moment to give thanks to those brave men and women whose sacrifices make our life style possible.

Remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They gave their lives that we might have ours. For them there is no tomorrow, no second chance at life or love, but thanks to them we have our life, our freedom and our chances to live.

Remember those who returned but suffered unspeakable injuries to body, soul or mind. Brave men and women traumatized by their injuries or the injuries to others that they witnessed or perhaps by the actions they had no choice but to take.

But these actions and sacrifices paid for our freedoms. They kept our shores safe. They stood up for our way of life.

As I think about Memorial Day and all that it stands for I am grateful to all who have done their duty to safeguard this great nation and our freedoms but I am sad too. I feel for the families left behind or the soldier who once able-bodied is now missing a limb or worse. My heart aches for those who returned so stressed and traumatized that although their body is sound, their emotions and feelings are forever scarred. This is the price we pay for our freedom. This is the price our soldiers paid for us.

On this Memorial Day honor them, thank them and pray for them. Keep safe those who even today are fighting for freedom in foreign lands. Pray that someday we will gain the wisdom to be able to put down our weapons and live in peace and respect throughout the world.

Always remember…

Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on May 11, 2014May 11, 2014 by Dusty Roads

A Short Break

Posted on May 4, 2014May 4, 2014 by Dusty Roads

It’s been an emotional week. Not all bad by any means. I received a promotion at work which means more money and new challenges. That’s good.

Smokey was laid to rest. That was bad, at least emotionally draining.

I’ve been commuting to Somerville 1 1/2 – 2 hours each way in grid lock traffic for training.

That’s bad. When I finish there I turn around and rush home to finish off my regular work until 9 pm.

Bottom line, I’m tired. I can’t think straight. So I hope you won’t mind if I take a brief break to recharge and retrench. I’ll be back with new posts in say 5 -7 days? After All, we have a vacation soon and I need to pull myself together so I can tell you all about that.

I also want to thank everyone for their kind comments and condolences. It means more to me than you can possibly know. Thank you all!

Thanks Bunches 🙂

May Day

Posted on May 2, 2014May 2, 2014 by Dusty Roads

So what did you do yesterday? May 1st, May Day, is supposed to be a Spring Festival. In my mind I see sunshine, flowers, and children dancing around the May pole or at least playing with those long, loopy ribbons.

May first around here was more like April 1st. Rainy again but it did warm up in the afternoon. Still anyone dancing around a Maypole today would have to be puddle jumping too.

May Day is related to the Celtic festival of Beltane. The maypole dance comes to us from the Druids of the British Isles, with May Day—May 1—being the second-most-important holiday of their year, because it brought with it the Beltane festival and the observation of pagan fertility rites. May 1 was seen as the beginning of a new year, and fires were lit as part of the celebration.

As Europe became Christianized, the pagan holidays lost their religious character and either changed into popular secular celebrations, as with May Day, or were merged with or replaced by new Christian holidays as with Christmas, Easter, and All Saint’s Day.

I’ve never seen a Maypole or a Beltane celebration but I think a nice sunny day of dancing and flowers is just what we all need these days.