September in New England- ME, CT, NY, and MA :-)

This month was a bit of a mish-mosh, living like a real vagabond, finally feeling settled again, but to recap September… here we go! Four States….

The first week, I played house with Andrew in Biddeford, Maine. I definitely did not want to leave my favorite state or my favorite playmate! Andrew does work a lot, so I had two solo nights in Biddeford on my own. I love my alone time, so it was no big deal and actually fun to explore on my own in this area. Plus it allowed me to go back to Portland for one last early morning walk on the Eastern Promenade and say a final good bye to Monica and my fav town too.

I worked for the week from his kitchen table or from my fancy – bougiest hotel I love, The Lincoln. On the days I was able to work from there, I felt very cool. 😊 It’s a fabulous spot!

When Andrew wasn’t working a 24-hour shift, we got to cook dinner at home, take late-night, foggy beach walks at the Biddeford Pool beaches, and spend quality time together.

One night, I attempted to make homemade lamb meatballs using my friend Valerie’s recipe. “attempted” is the key word here because I didn’t exactly follow the directions. 😂 There was a very comical FaceTime call to Valerie from the grocery store for some much-needed guidance. Somehow, they actually turned out edible. I was impressed with myself, LOL! And Andrew liked them too. Ha! He is definitely the chef not me. 😜

Andrew also made the yummy onion soup from scratch that he had promised. So, between cooking dinners, hanging out at home, neighborhood walks, and playing house, it was a very domesticated week for us.

Oh yeah, how can I forget? We also spent a wonderful evening and morning in Kennebunkport, wandering the main drag and walking along Mothers Beach, while weaving through the beautiful homes in this area. I love this part of Maine too. There really is something about these little coastal New England towns that I just can’t get enough of.

But, as always, it was time to move on. On September 5th, I said goodbye to Maine and got on the road for Connecticut, my next destination.

I arrived before anyone was home and spent some time wandering my favorite West Hartford Center stores. Crazy coincidence, but Dr. Tom was my first greeter in CT! I randomly ran into my dad’s colleague and the doctor who helped me with my health issues years ago on the street. It was so nice to see him and his wife and meet their new puppy. Serendipity!

I also got to have dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Treva, with my aunt and uncle. A perfect way to enter my original favorite town.

Then came a full week of family time in West Hartford with my cutest little cousins, and my big cousins too. Matt and Catherine were visiting from California too. Needless to say, it was a full house, and everyone came by to see all the visitors in town.

Then, on a big morning walk, I ran into Benji too! Talk about small world. It was so much fun to randomly run into old friends on the streets of another quaint New England town. I love those little meant-to-be moments when life somehow puts people exactly where they’re supposed to be.

Time with all my cousins was spent playing games, lots of great conversations, eating, drinking, and two wonderful holiday meals cooked by my Aunt Marlene. Yummy! It was the start of the High Holidays, and we went to Beth El Temple for Rosh Hashanah services.

The sermon was incredible. With it being 9/11 weekend, two people from the congregation who had lost loved ones shared their experiences and honored the memory of their loved ones. The Rabbi then shared a meaningful and wise sermon about how your life can literally change in a second. It was very thought-provoking conversation. I love this stuff!

It was so nice to be with family and get to spend quality time together. I especially loved having Saige sit on my lap in synagogue and play with her little Pop-It toys. Her sweet little personality reminded me of the days with all my nieces when they were younger. ❤️

As you know, this was also the week I went to Woodstock, NY, for one full day to honor my dear Helene and attend her funeral and shiva. If you missed my previous post, it is all detailed there. I’m also including a fun article written by my friend Michael, who linked my Helene post to his article on Substack.

Since I was no longer going to Woodstock for my last two weeks of September😢 I was lucky that my Cape Cod place in October was ready early.

I departed Connecticut on September 13th early in the morning, as it was going to be a very rainy day. I made it to Brandeis University outside of Boston to take Adina Olsen, Rachel’s daughter, to brunch. I was fortunate to meet her very nice boyfriend, Aaron, too.

We had a wonderful time together. I picked them up on campus, we had a lovely brunch with great conversation, then I went back to tour her new dorm and meet her roommates. Many of them I had met last year at Parents Weekend with Rachel.

After saying our goodbyes, I was back on the road for a VERY scary rainy drive. Thankfully, I made it safe and sound to my very cozy peaceful condo, the same place I stayed last year.

I’m lucky to be in a golf club resort community within walking distance to the beach. It’s a very comfortable place, and I quickly got all settled in again to my own little home. BIG computer made it too, thanks to my Andrew, who packed it so carefully in all the bubble wrap and tape from Arizona. 😂 My office was set up again, and I was back to my simple – calm sleepy life here.

Life in Cape Cod is very quiet. Although I will say, September still has some action! Having never been here in September before, I noticed that places were still a bit crowded but also still open.

I had plans with friends I made last year, which made coming back feel even more special. Lisa invited me out on her boat at sunset during my first week here. What a dreamy experience and evening! Then we had dinner at The Chatham Squire, and we’ve gotten together again for dinner at a new place since then.

I went on a walk with my neighbor Kathleen, and Maria from last year invited me to join her and her 8-year-old son, Auggie, for happy hour at my favorite Chatham Bars Inn.

It’s so nice to have friends from last year greet me with such a warm welcome. It feels so special to have created a life in all these towns I love so much on the East Coast.

Andrew was my first visitor, arriving on September 19th. He had never been to this part of the Cape, so I got to be DORA, my favorite! We had a beach picnic, sushi in Chatham, walked the rail trail, enjoyed Sunday football at a Chatham bar, and just had lots of quality time together.

For the Fall Equinox, Maria led a labyrinth walk, and I got to see many more old friends at this event, which was such a treat. I also attended a sound bath with Reiki at my favorite Chatham Spiritual Center and signed up for another one next month with Lisa. I saw the Anthony Bourdain movie at the old-fashioned theater, The Orpheum.

Basically, my days start on my balcony with coffee, watching the squirrels run around. The nights end with sunsets. And LOTS of sunsets. I try not to miss them, because they are one of the reasons I love Cape Cod so much.

The beaches here when the tide is out are the dreamiest places to be. I could walk and walk and walk, with all the birds surrounding me, while having the wide-open ocean and beach almost entirely to myself. It’s truly magic!!!

And that’s the September wrap-up.

Until October… 🌅❤️