Cape Cod Trip - Day 1

With a new baby and puppy recently joining the family, I was enthusiastically invited to visit Massachusetts this weekend.  The weather was forecasted to be very nice so I packed last night and was on the road just after 0600 this morning.  I used I-89 to reach the outskirts of Concord and then took NH-3A (avoiding the toll).  After stopping for gas at Irving in Hooksett (0715), I got on I-93 and continued south (listened to audiobooks on the way).  The traffic was moving very nicely and I arrived in Boston well ahead of a weeknight pace.  Even better, I made it through the city very quickly too.  Changing to MA-3 in Quincy, I arrived in Hanover (MA) by 0830 and met my sister at a new restaurant (for both of us) called First Watch.  They had a great menu of breakfast food and the ambiance was nice.  After I'd been visiting for a short time with Katie, my nephew Johnny arrived.  The meal and family news was great and I enjoyed the extra time I got with them.  Finishing up by 1045, I made plans to see my sister on my way home - after that, I drove to Gerard's house in Plymouth (via MA-3 and some back roads to Federal Furnace Road).  We visited from about 1115 to 1415 - lots of good travel talk and an exchange of views on current events.  From Gerard's, I drove south into Carver and took some other back roads until I reached MA-58.  Heading north, I passed through Halifax and crossed West Lake / East Lake into Hanson.  My destination was Aria and Dan's house - it was my first visit and I got a first class tour of their beautiful home (1445).  More importantly, I got to meet their new arrival: Gianna (or, as my daughters are calling her "GiGi").  I got baby cuddles, spent time playing with Storm (Siberian Husky) and Milo (Maine Coon Cat) and caught up on the latest family news.  It was a wonderful time!  At about 1600, I reluctantly said goodbye and made my way back (mostly via MA-27) to MA-3.  From Kingston, I made excellent time all the way to the Sagamore Bridge, across on to US-6 and several miles into Sandwich.  Unfortunately, I then encountered a massive traffic jam and got delayed for nearly 30 minutes.  Altogether, though, this was not such a bad thing - the slow down had been caused by a car flipping over near my intended exit but I don't think anyone was hurt.  The local authorities also cleared the accident very quickly.  As a result, I was at my dad's house by 1730.  We visited for a little bit and I got to meet their new dogs (Daphne and Tiarah).  My dad had made some dinner for us and it was nice to sit down with him and Beth to eat it.  There was lots more conversation about life and work and news.  Afterwards, we spent some time outside with the dogs and my dad showed me several of the bird houses he'd recently made.  Some of them have apparently sold at a little stand in front of his house and he is quite proud of them (my sister later told me he'd made one for Aria and Dan's house and the photos look amazing).  A bit after that, my dad suggested we drive over to the Bally's Casino in Tiverton, RI for some fun.  After our last visit, I was interested more in the "wall of beer" that they had and, once we arrived (1945), I spent time between those taps and my dad's slot machines.  It was smoky and crowded - not the best environment - but my dad was quite happy to be winning for most of the evening.  We departed the casino by 2100 and were home about an hour later.  Beth had already gone to bed so dad and I talked for a little bit before I headed to the guest room for the night.  Before going to sleep (2300), I did some reading and Duolingo.  Quite tired after my whirlwind visit to the Bay and Ocean States!