In December 2005, my wife, Jean, and I were returning home from Ramstein Air Base to Baltimore International Airport (BWI), aboard one of the AMC Patriot flights, and discussing what a wonderful Space-A trip it had been. We had rendezvoused in Paris with one of our daughters and her family for Christmas.

"But I have to tell you," Jean said to me, "I'm all Europed out for the time being!" We had taken three Space–A trips to Europe in the past two years. "Lets go somewhere else on our next trip," she said.

This past summer we decided on a trip up to the Canadian Maritimes in the early fall, just before my annual Kyushu Gypsy Squadron reunion scheduled for mid-October.

Jean and I both have ancestral roots in the Maritimes, hers in Prince Edward Island, and mine in Nova Scotia. I had previously visited Nova Scotia but Jean had never been there or to Prince Edward Island.

We decided on a driving trip, with visits to some New England relatives and friends along the way. I suggested that we use available military lodging along the way to make it a Space-A trip. Where we couldn't find military

lodging, we would try to use Bed and Breakfast lodging as much as possible. We find that B&B lodging is no more expensive – and oftentimes less expensive – than lodging in one of the moderately priced motel chains. Additionally, we like the socializing and camaraderie with the other guests.

We left our home in New Jersey on Friday, 15 September, 2006. The first stop on our itinerary was Cape Cod in Massachusetts to visit one of our daughters and her family. Among other planned family activities, we were honor bound to see our six-year old grandson play in one of his soccer games.

Although we had planned to utilize military housing along the way, we didn't try to find any military accommodations on Cape Cod. Although there were possibilities of temporary military lodging (TML) on Cape Cod, primarily at the Cape Cod Coast Guard Air Station, we decided to stay at a commercial motel a few minutes away from our daughter.

On Sunday morning, we called the lodging office at Hanscom AFB, near Boston, and were able to obtain two nights lodging at the Air Force Inn.

Hanscom AFB is a jewel of a base, located on 400 acres. Hanscom's mission within the Air Force is unique. Its mission is to support research and development of electronic systems instead of hosting military aircraft units. There are no direct Air Force flying activities. Hanscom AFB does not have its own runways; it uses the runways

of Hanscom Field, a civilian airport adjacent to the Air Force Base. Less than one percent of the airplanes that land on the runways of Hanscom Field are military aircraft.

On Tuesday we checked out of the Air Force Inn and spent the morning exploring the Concord/Lexington area. Jean is a big fan of Louisa May Alcott and was thrilled to have the opportunity to visit the Alcott Orchard House in Concord.

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