Just got back from USA visiting my friend Greg Girardin with whom I recorded some music in 2005. It was a quick trip because Greg hasn’t been feeling quite well lately. Anyways, a visit was way over due. Especially since he should’ve come to Sweden this summer, but didn’t.
I kept a basic diary to remember everything and all. And there’s a photo gallery at the very end.
Friday 28 Aug
Elin was up all night working and barely got any sleep myself. She was supposed to drive me to the airport but that didn’t make much sense in the morning so I took the train. The flight was ok, except I was sitting near one of the emergency exits and it was darn cold!
Once in Philadelphia, PA my connecting flight to Manchester, NH got cancelled due to bad weather up north so I had some sushi which turned out to be a big plate of raw fish and nothing else. Was superb though.
I made the flight at 9 in the evening. An hour later my good friend Greg Girardin picked me up at the airport in Manchester. Four years (almost to the day!) since we saw each other – not a moment too soon!
Saturday 29 Aug
Breakfast at Denny’s. Man, conversations with Greg are easy. He is a very interesting guy and it’s really a shame that there is an ocean between us. After a quick visit at Guitar Centre to get a cymbal for a friend back home we drive to Greg’s parents in Lewiston, Maine. Once there Bob (dad) treated me to the best corn I’ve ever had and after good talk with Bob and Madeleine (mom) we went to LuAnn (sister) and Tony (her husband) for more awesome food and some great brew. Geary’s HSA – too bad they don’t carry that stuff in Sweden.
Sunday 30 Aug
Me and Greg started recording something that turned out to be an Opeth-clone. We never finished it though. Guess we’ll have to do that online.
Saw the Lewiston Maineiacs (ice hockey) play the Shawinigan Cataractes which was great fun. Then we had canned bread (yes!) with Valerie (sister) and Mike (her husband) and their kids. And if you thought that bread out of a can was weird then I must say that the Dr McGillycuddy’s schnapps took the prize. You drink it and then chase it with a beer and magically the beer tastes like toothpaste. How about that?
Yelling Cinderella songs with Mike Girardin in the car later that night shurely been the highlight of the day.
Monday 31 Aug
It was a surreal experience, standing outside of Stephen King’s house in Bangor, Maine. Not so much because I absolutely love his books or that, but the fact that he probably is the most famous author alive and that he lives in an ordinary neighbourhood and not a gated community. Had took take a few pictures outside that house though, spider web fence and all. I bought the Dark Tower comic books at Bett’s Bookstore after that. Now I must finish the last volumes in the Dark Tower series so that I can read the comics.
Next stop was Bar Harbour and I must say that it was one of the most impressive sights ever seeing the Maine coastline from on top of an island mountain. Man! Pictures can’t explain the view. A 360° panorama view as far as Sweden (almost). It was worth the three hour trip! And the lobster rolls we had weren’t bad either!
Tuesday 1 Sept
In all honesty you can’t compare the view form Black Mountain to the Bar Harbour sights, but just as Greg said on top of Black Mountain: “You’ve got to earn your view” and that is mighty true! After an hour of walking, sitting down on top of the mountain was the sight of this year I must say. I felt a bit bad the whole trip (and had hidden a secret roll of toilet paper in the backpack in case I just HAD to go) but one we were on top all was good again for some reason.
Me, Greg and Bob went hunting for sushi material later that day. We got some great stuff and the the mayhem started. Just about the whole family (20 people at least) came to cook and eat. We had a blast and the swedish cheif did pretty well I must say, but man was I stressed. I think Greg got some footage of the whole event which I’m sure he’ll upload soon enough. A good memory this one I must say.
This was the last night and so me and Greg had a long, great talk about just about everything on earth and beyond. Greg’s has been quite ill the last six months. Some kind of mysterious nerve disorder but he surely is one happy bloke.
Wednesday 2 Sept
Toast in the morning – the breakfast of champions. Had to leave around 11 for Manchester. Staying with the Girardins was something I’d very much like to do again, preferably with Elin (so that she can cook the sushi the next time). Honestly, one can’t resist the love and openness of the Girardins, Labbes and Racines. Thank you so much for the warm welcome and many good laughs (hurdy gurdy hurdy!).
The relatives of Hudson, MA was kind enough to drive to the Manchester airport for a quick coffee. I got a kick out of seeing them again. It was four years since last. Now I’m praying they’ll make it to Sweden again. Hopefully not the same time as the Girardins/Labbes/Racines though because we can only handle so many american psychos.
Almost missed my connection in Philadelphia due to the first flight being horribly late, but I didn’t. Another cool thing was that when I flew into Philadelphia we were just over the Phillies baseball game. Really awesome. The rest of the trip was easy peasy.
And coming home to Elin is always the best part of a trip.
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it looks like you had fun.
Thanks so much for coming by bud, We all had a great time. Wish you could’ve stayed longer but the time we had was great.
Hope to visit you over there next year!
Being a blogger is like being in charge of your own personal insane asylum.
Looks like you guys had so much fun! What a nice family!