Tickets, please

Passport.......check
Luggage packed......check ( although I did forget my hairbrush...oh, where is my hairbrush?)
Boarding passes printed.....check
Children sent to MI with mom ...check
Jubal left at the Fishers.....check
House left in diastrous state....check
Late departing to the Redlons......check
Ready for a vacation.....check

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Buy A Belt

I should have known, last Thursday, when I was at Wal-Mart at 6 in the morning, buying Jubal a new belt to complete his dress code, that it would result in the vortex dropping the other two, that have been missing for over a month, back into my path. That's just how it works around here. Sure enough, he now has three belts, which is really what I should have had in the first place. My main house-keeping principle is:

I need to have three of everything in order to be able to find one....(more than three is even better)

Do you think it's an accident that I have four children?

On To The Championship!

It was all dampness and determination this afternoon as Jubal's soccer team, Coastal Christian, earned the right to play in the Championship Game in Augusta after soundly defeating their aggressive opponents 5-1. While we, the fans, admired a beautiful rainbow that appeared at the half, Jubal told me later that our CCS Rams associated the rainbow with the hopes of the black garbed Vineyard, and gladly watched the colorful symbol fade away as the second half began. As the game concluded, the patient skies opened with a downpour to accompany the defeated back to Lewiston.

Something You Don't See Everyday

I believe that a mostly eaten carrot sitting on top of the toilet roll in the Lowe's public restroom would qualify for that category. I wondered what in the world it was doing there, but I probably don't really want to know.........

Newton's Third Law of Motion

"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction"

In my universe this translates into the following:

"For every morning that I arrive early at the Hodgdon's to drop off Jubal, there is an equal and opposite morning in which I break the speed limit and still arrive late.
The application of Murphy's Law results in me picking him up late in the afternoon as well.
Murphy and I are old friends.

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The Bradbury Tradition

It seems that we always end up on the summit of Bradbury Mountain at some point each autumn. On Saturday, I retrieved my hiking boots from their storage and laced up my old friends but was glad to leave their companion, the weighty backpack, at home.
This year the leaves had not turned quite enough to provide the brilliant array of color that usually accompanies our progress up the hill. Instead, we were merely teased by the sporadic dappling of red, orange and yellow as we meandered up the 1 mile Northern Loop trail to the panoramic view at the top. It was a beautiful sight on a Saturday afternoon.

Blueberry Cheesecake Birthday

We had Jim's 42nd birthday party this evening. Atira hand decorated the balloons and with Tell's help putting in the "greedients", I made a homemade blueberry cheesecake for the occasion. It was particularly scrumpcious and garnished much praise from the family. Jim also gave me his own original brand of complement:
"Wow. Rachelle, this is REALLY good. It's been a long time since you've made anything this delicious."
I've just learned to shake my head and take the platitude....Thank you, Jim.
Jim's parents said that he digs himself into a hole so often that when it's time to travel back to Australia, all they'll have to do is find the hole and jump in!

Wolfe's Neck State Park

On Monday we hit a great sale at the Reebok/Rockport outlet in Freeport. I was able to get new sneakers for both Nolan and Tell, as well as Atira's sandals for next year. I was especially grateful to purchase new ones for Nolan, who not only had worn a hole in the side of his old shoes, but could potentially have bottled the odor and sold it as a weapon.

With a few hours available before Atira's soccer practice we traveled just a few minutes to Wolfe's Neck State Park. It's just down the road from one of Jim's jobs and I had never been there. It has some nice hiking trails, some which follow the rocky ocean shore. The low tide provided opportunities for flip-flop clad feet to sink a bit into the periwinkle covered mud flats. That brought to mind the memory of trudging into the cove mud flats up to my calves with my best friend Beth at their cottage on Orr's Island in my high school years. How very fortuitous that this, in turn, reminded me that it was her birthday, and I was therefore NOT late wishing her a Happy Birthday. Timeliness is an unusual happenstance in my life.

I knew, as soon as we got home I would need to bring Atira to soccer, so we were discussing where her shin guards were, while driving out of the park. This conversation followed:

Me: Atira, do you know where your shin guards are? Because as soon as we get home I'm going to have to bring you to your soccer practice.

Atira: I'm not sure. I think they're in my room.

Buddy (my father-in-law): I think the last time I saw them they were hanging up on the floor.

(MUCH LAUGHTER)

Me: Yes, that's the storage space that we utilize the most at our house.

Feels Weird

We're here at Camp Good News for the very first Family Camp ever. Can I just say that it is a very odd thing to be camperless and sleeping in a boy's cabin?

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Words from Atira

As we pulled into the parking lot of Jubal's soccer field, Atira wanted to make sure that her brother was properly equipped for his first game. Knowing that a mouthguard was required, she inquired, "Mom, does Jubal have his cigar?" Clearly I need to make sure I enunciate my speech a bit better.

This morning we were discussing the Anasazi and their choice of home-building materials. "So they made their houses out of dirt and dust?" I answered that this was basically true. "They must have had a lot of allergies!"

I ascended the stairs last evening after the last minute purchase of Jubal's cigar (I mean mouth guard). Reaching the top, I was greeted by Atira who informed me that I smelled like old flowers. I'm not sure what odor that is exactly but I suspect it's not pleasant.

AAAAAHHHHHH!

Stinkin' honkin' I hate math!!!!
After this first school day for Atira and Nolan, I thought perhaps I might be able to relax this evening. I didn't count on helping Jubal, after his first day of classes, figure out his Algebra homework until 12:15 in the morning. The whole affair is the blind leading the blind, as I only made it to Pre-Algebra in High School!
Stinkin' honkin' I hate math!!!!
I think I'll give the 5:30 gym date a pass in the morning.
Did I mention that I REALLY hate math?

No More Late Nights?

That was the plan.....but here I am blogging, while waiting for my bread to finish baking, at 10:43PM. The bread machine will beep in about 5 minutes and then, after making Jubal's lunch for his first day of high school tomorrow, I can finally hit the hay. Five o'clock comes early and I'm not used to living on that side of the time spectrum. It could be a long week while my body works out this early schedule......

Cruising Along

A couple of nice things this weekend........ we booked our flights to and from Miami for our cruise with Jeremy and Nicky and also Jim and his dad made big progress on our new bedroom construction! Both events will find their culmination in November. It's all very exciting.

A Visitor

Jim's mom switched on the light in our bathroom and was surprised by this baby snake, which she at first thought was a worm until noticing the head. I could not figure out how a snake could get into an upstairs bathroom, then I realized it must have been in the duffle bag of clothes from camping last weekend, which was still laying on the floor. There is a moral in this story, pertaining to how quickly one should do laundry after an event, but I'm just going to ignore it. Needless to say, Lyn was a bit taken aback and Jim's dad quickly came to the rescue. He captured the wriggler and we put it in an empty fishbowl and then proceeded to identify it. It is a Northern Ring-Neck and after some prompting from the kids I decided I would release it into the wild instead of killing it. I made them take it about a mile and a half up the road however. I don't want it in my yard!

The Last Hurrah

I met Heather and Annah at Sebago Lake yesterday during our early September heatwave. It's nice to have the beautiful weather follow us, even a short way, into the autumn. The summer crowds were gone, which made for a pleasant day but I couldn't help feeling a bit melancholy as we drove out, along the shaded road, knowing that this was our last Beach Day with the Buxton Crowd until next year. Oh, the shortness of summer.......

Apples

I love the memory of our crab apple trees on County Rd. in Eastport. Each spring they were alive with blossoms and many childhood hours were spent climbing the branches and sampling the tart fruit. Anthony and I loved rolling the undersized apples onto the pavement of the only thoroughfare into our town and waiting for the passing cars to completely pulverize them. My own little apple tree, in our yard, invokes the memory of those enjoyable times so I was very pleased to notice that this year it produced fruit for the very first time.....only two apples, but it's a start!

37 Years On Planet Earth

Saturday marked my birthday, which was spent in the White Mountains with my family, in-laws, and our dear friends, Heather and Todd Pendleton, along with their kids. We drove over to Warren, NH on Friday and stayed at Moose Hillock Campground for a couple nights. We discovered this campground last year with the Fishers and have really enjoyed it. Plans are already being made for a return trip or two next summer......gotta fit the Fishers AND Pendletons in! With such a full weekend behind us, I believe we were all looking forward to our restful beds this evening. The possible exception was four year old Tell.......

(6:48 pm this evening)

Me: Bedtime pretty soon, Telly!
Tell: It's almost time to go to bed?
Me: Yep.
Tell: Oh, darn it!

Spend Some Time

While Jim and his parents feasted at Old Country Buffet with Jubal, Nolan and the youth group, Atira and Tell nicely played together.This freed me up to spend a few enjoyable hours visiting at the house with my Aunt Suci, something I should make time to do more often. I love my strong, beautiful aunt.

Take time and spend it with those you love . Tommorow is not a guarantee.

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From One Thing To The Next

I waited up until Jubal arrived home from the seventh and final week of CGN, putting me in bed at midnight only to be up again and on the road to Waldoboro by 8 this morning. After an obligatory Dunkin' Donuts stop, I arrived only slightly late for the Coastal Christian work day, where I had the privilege of, among other things, cleaning bathrooms with Don and Nate Fisher. Jim said he's sorry he missed that episode. Shortly after eleven, I headed home via Damariscotta, stopping at a veggie stand that my friend Liz Brown tends, to visit for a bit. Not only was it an enjoyable chat, but I couldn't resist picking up some fresh cherry tomatoes, romaine lettuce, corn on the cob and farm fresh eggs. Isn't summer lovely? Except for the Wiscasset weekend traffic.....that I could do without. It was my companion for much too long today, but the family held lunch for me and I arrived home to enjoy it with them, complete with homemade bread....mmmmm. With the men refueled and ready to work, I headed downstairs to dictate the light, switch and outlet placement for our bedroom project. The last thing on the Saturday agenda was to check out the Outdoor Arts Festival in Brunswick with Lyn, Nolan and Atira. Weaving through the booths lining Maine Street, we saw woodturning, stone carvings, music, textiles, photography, spinning and a vast array of ink and painting styles. Nolan was particularly interested in one booth filled with the Pop Art style so I wouldn't be surprised if that comes out in his next painting. We ended the day back at a wood turning booth purchasing a beautiful pen for Dad. Nolan thought he might enjoy a "welcome home from camp" gift. A long day is complete and sleep beckons.

Want A Lick?

I received this photo tonight from my friends Peg McConnell and Greg Hodgdon along with their respective families. It came with the accompanying text, "Want a lick?" They are very aware of the fact that I do not even eat or drink after my own husband, so I'm absolutely not licking an ice cream cone after these two. As a matter of fact I had this very discussion with some of my Buxton friends last night when Heather asked to try my blackberry lemonade. I don't know what my facial reaction looked like but it clearly communicated that I would not be party to such an event. Just a couple weeks ago, I took Atira and Tell to get an ice cream and was trying to show Tell how to turn the cone while licking the bottom of the ice cream to keep it from dripping. Try demonstrating that to a toddler without ACTUALLY licking his cone. It's not as easy as it sounds.

So to answer Greg and Peg.......

THOUGH CONE BE SWEET
WITH ICE CREAM THICK,
IF TONGUE HAS TOUCHED,
I'LL TAKE NO LICK.

Painting

Jim's mum spent some time oil painting outside with Atira and Nolan this afternoon. Nolan finished a western cabin scene with a mountain backdrop, while Atira's canvas has the beginnnings of a vase with flowers. Hers has yet to be completed. Tell joined in, painting watercolor fish in a highly impressionist style. Lyn is taking time to teach them oil paint techniques and skills during their painting sessions, so we are likely to see improvement in the paintings that follow.

I had planned on going tomorrow evening down to Portland to meet Heather, Alyssa, Nicki and Annah at 7pm for a pedicure, but as it turns out it was tonight and I missed it! Nicki called at seven to see how close I was.......hmmm.....I was home, so......not very close. So much for smooth, fresh feet and painted toes. 40 minutes later I did meet them for a bit of shopping and dessert at Ruby Tuesday's, however, so the night was not a complete loss for me.

Out and About

Mobile Blogging from here.

Jim's parents ventured out in the van alone today, after acclimating themselves to traveling on the opposite side of the road for a week. All returned safely.

We are missing the company of Jubal at home this week. They were short handed in the dish pit at Camp Good News this week and he agreed to help out.

....and for something completely unrelated to the above items....I just finished a late night conversation with Jim who is now having difficulty getting to sleep. I'm quite sure a midnight chat does not help this predicament. While beginning this post, and listening to his tossing and turning, I heard a loud thud next to me. "ooooh. What was that?" I asked, already suspecting an Australian skull. "My head." was Jim's reply, followed by, "I wish it had knocked me out."

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

"Cup" Cake

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons cake flour
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons milk
3 Tablespoons oil
1 Mug

Instructions:

Mix flour, sugar and cocoa: Spoon in egg: Pour in milk and oil, and mix well:

Microwave on full power for 3 minutes: Wait until it stops rising and sets in mug:

Tip contents out and enjoy!

Thanks to my brother in law, Ray, who passed on this recipe to Jim's parents. Lyn and Nolan took the time after supper to make both the cake and some Australian custard to drizzle over the moist dessert......and all via the microwave.

A Day Out With Thomas

• The family, minus Jubal, pleasantly avoided the peak Wiscasset traffic and arrived around 11 to spend the day at the Boothbay Railway Village. The Village is hosting "A Day Out With Thomas", or as Tell calls it, "The Thomath Fethtival". Besides all the activity stations for the kids, the village also has an extensive collection of antique automobiles and machinery to keep the adult interest. The highlight was, of course, riding on the narrow gauge train, pulled by none other than Thomas the Tank Engine himself. I didn't see Tell exhibit any large bursts of enthusiasm during the lengthy ride and I wondered if he was perhaps a bit bored. My thinking was corrected, however, at the completion of the journey. Tell stood up in the carriage and matter of factly stated, "That wath fun. I love Thomath." No fanfare, just the simple toddler truth.
  

Gramma

What Grammas do is teach your children new skills that they would never learn from you, like crocheting. This is what I found Atira doing when I arrived home this afternoon. She and Jim's mum were enjoying some sunshine and the crochet needles were flying. She also helped Tell make his hand-picked blackberry muffins, which were quite yummy. I think the kids are enjoying their Gramma time.

Whistle While You Work

Well, Jim's dad has been here a total of three days. That includes the day after they arrived here at the house and went to bed at 3 o'clock in the morning, after 24 hours of travel from Australia. Still suffering from a bit of jet lag, he has already fixed our tipsy recliner, stained, polyurethaned and installed a new door in Atira's bedroom and begun the construction of our new bedroom downstairs. All of this has been occasionally accompanied by his infamous whistling. Jim's family can gauge Buddy's working mood by the type of whistling they hear. So far, so good........

Late Night or Early Morning?

The Aussie inlaws arrived safe, but very weary, from a very long journey and everyone is finally able to enjoy the softness of a bed at 2:50 in the morning. Good night..... or good morning. Either way, I'm going to sleep.

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SF

Jim's parents arrived earlier this afternoon in San Francisco and have been waiting through a layover. We just received word that their flight to Boston, due to arrive at 10:30, has been delayed 30 min. Jim and I are currently cruising 295 to Portland so I think we'll have time to stop at Burlington Coat Factory to check out their clearance sundresses. Thanks to my good friend Nicki Redlon for the tip! We're topping off our summer wardrobe for our cruise in November.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Visitors

In about 1/2 hour Jim's parents will be soaring through the Sydney skies on the way to our home to spend a three month holiday. Jim and I leave for Boston tomorrow to pick them up.

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Only One Left

I didn't get a chance to check on the Robin nest until this evening. Three of the four eggs have hatched. The nest is filling up with the next generation of our yard robins. They're not very active yet but I'm posting a video anyway.

The Egg Hatches

Just a quick update on our Robin's nest in the garage rafters. The photo that I took on June 1st shows only two eggs and I hadn't been up to check on the nest since then.....(I'm not a lover of heights) Today, with Jim keeping a firm grip on the ladder base, I ascended to find three eggs unhatched and a tiny baby, that judging from its inactivity, must have just been born today. Jim took a peek also and I was about to hand him my iPhone to snap a photo when one of the parents arrived with supper. Not wanting the baby to wait long for a meal, we decided to hold off on the photo until tomorrow. Most likely there will be at least one more egg hatched then as well.

3

Nolan, Atira and I took a trip down to Buxton around 3 this afternoon.
Stop #1 was Nicky and Jeremy Redlon's, where I got my hair trimmed and colored, Nolan hung out with his friend Connor and Atira enjoyed cuddling their 6 week old kitten.
Stop #2 was Heather and Todd Pendleton's where we enjoyed a gourmet dinner of popcorn chicken, fries and strawberries. Atira and Nolan enjoyed spending time with their friends Emma and Caleb, Heather and I chatted and Todd arrived home just in time for me to give him a hug as I left for.....
Stop #3 was to visit with Papa and BauBau. She is home from the hospital, recuperating from her mild heart attack. She is doing very well, and was in good humor as usual. When I arrived at the house, she was visiting with my Aunt Suci, Mom and Dad and my uncle Frank who had made a quick trip up from D.C. It was nice to see him , even if only for a short time.

Not In the Mood

I just noticed the date of my last post and couldn't believe how long it's been since I last wrote on here. I just have not been in the writing mood, which is a shame because life has given me some great material. I shall have to make a better effort........tomorrow.

The Coffee Cure-all

I just love coffee to jump start my production in the morning, or anytime of the day, really. I'm convinced that it is purely psychological and not the caffeine because I can consume a cup o'Joe prior to hitting the hay and enjoy a good night's sleep. Knowing my love of the bitter brew, my thoughtful husband returned home early this morning with a black, blueberry Dunkin' Donuts in hand as I was loading up the washer. Was it just a random, kind gesture? or perhaps he thought I might need a cup after his dream last night, in which I was apparently enjoying some brews and laughing it up with fat, old men at the local pub after a hard day at work.......

Departures and Arrivals

While Jubal was working with Jim on Monday, the three youngest kids and I took an unplanned trip to Fort Popham to see the latest Bath Iron Works built Navy ship pass by on its way out to sea trials . On the beach adjacent to the fort, I met up with my friend Cara Fuller and her kids. Cara's husband, Chad and our mutual friend Don Fisher were both on board the USS Jason Dunham, traveling down the Kennebec River toward our viewing point. The kids enjoyed wading into the chilly water and playing in the sand while we waited for the ship's arrival. The seals were numerous and active just offshore and helped pass the time until we saw the Coast guard escort, followed by the mast of the ship above the fort as it passed through the channeyl and continued past the beach, through the multitude of seals and out to the Atlantic for a few days. Before heading home, the kids had great fun exploring the fort and we ended the outing with some Giffords ice cream at Percy's.

Tuesday, I decided to head up to the Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder to see the running of the alewives. As it turns out, we caught them near the beginning of the run. They were not very thick and I should have waited a week or so. I posted one photo. Though it's difficult to distinguish any individual fish, the blackness of the resting pool are all the fish crowded together. There is an ongoing restoration project for the ladder itself and it looks like it will be quite nice when it's complete. In the past, only a small portion of the series of pools leading to the pond above has been visible, but with this year's visit I could see that they are building pathways to allow visitors to view much more of the alewives journey. I look forward to next year's run.