Airport Taxi

3:30 Alarm this AM....I haven't seen this earlier side of morning since the AT Hike. I brought Mom and Dad to the Portland Jetport so they don't have to pay for the car to stay there all week. They are headed out to California for Matt McCarthy's wedding on Saturday and then spending some time with my Uncle Kelly and Aunt Cathy in Bakersfield. Dave is picking them up when they arrive in San José and they're driving their rental car to the airport for the return trip but I wonder when Mom will realize that she never made arrangements to be picked up again next week. I hope I'm available!





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Celebrating 40 - The Authentic Session

I'm hanging onto summer even though I've seen a couple trees already turning and today was the first day of schooling for Atira and Tell. Summer is still here. It's still August, and yesterday, the 27th, marked 40 years on this earth for me. I celebrated by enjoying a meal out together with Mom and Dad, because they will miss the finale of my birthday week, the party on Saturday.


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Celebrating 40 - Session 2

For the first time since Jim's Dad constructed our bedroom several years ago, I awoke this morning to an actual light fixture on the ceiling instead of a single lightbulb decor of an interrogation room. I found it for $5 at the Habitat For Humanity's ReStore in Bath. I'm pretty sure that it's an old porch light but I love the shape and the panels have beautiful beveled glass. Before Jim bought me my iPad mini, I had bought this and was going to have him install it for me as my birthday gift. He could have saved himself a couple hundred bucks if he hadn't suggested going to Best Buy the other night.






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Celebrating 40 - Session 1

Jim and I each enjoyed a steak at Topsham's Ruby Tuesday and I followed mine with a delectable tiramisu. Unlike the time the Buxton Crowd hit the Westbrook Ruby Tuesday and we experienced the worst service of our lives, this time our waiter, service and food was excellent. The follow-up to the good meal was an even better trip to Best Buy, where Jim bought me an iPad mini as a gift.




This goes a long way toward him receiving forgiveness for not having my shower done in time for my birthday. I did say that I would be really mad. Perhaps now, I'll tone it down to slightly miffed.
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Repurposing

When shopping, I am always trying to think outside the box. "What else could I use this for?" And sometimes I discover a treasure. While at Marden's the other day I saw some portion control sugar shakers (by Healthy Steps) that dispense 1/4, 1/2, and 1 tsp portions. "Why limit their use to sugar?", I thought. I enjoy using my breadmaker but could do without the tediousness of all the ingredient measuring for my two loaves a day. I bought three shakers for my sugar, salt and powdered milk. They work so great that I plan to get the dressing cruet and fill it with olive oil to cut down on time even more. That just leaves the water, flour and yeast for individual measuring.





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One More Week In My Thirties

I'm counting down to 40. There is still a week to go but my first birthday card arrived in the mail. It was from Jim's parents in Australia. Jim's mom always hand paints a card for each of us on our birthday. We have accumulated quite a collection of mini paintings over the years and I'm very thankful for a mother-in-law that takes the time and effort to prepare a unique birthday wish each year.






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Maine State Park Passport, Stamp #2

We met the Pendleton and Brunk part of the Buxton Crowd at Popham Beach State Park after church this afternoon. As I saw the long line of parked cars outside the entrance, I was reminded of why we don't go to this beach on the weekend as a general rule. There was no parking space available so Jim dropped us off to walk in and he tried another pass looking for a spot along the road where a car may have left in the meantime. As we approached the Park Entrance Attendant, I noticed that he was now letting cars in so I asked him if there was room in the main lot. There were 6. I whipped out my phone to quickly call Jim before he traveled the 1.2 miles toward Fort Popham and parked there. The attendant said he would save a spot for our van, all I needed to do now was contact Jim. I watched for him to pass the entrance while I listened to the phone ring, and ring, and ring and muttered, "Pick up your phone..." Then I saw him drive past the entrance and in a burst of frustration, arms waving like the Italian that I am, I ran after our passing vehicle, yelling in my Maine accent, "Jim!!! ANsah yah PHONE!" And then he was gone around the bend.....and then he appeared again. He had heard me. A good set of lungs can be a wonderful thing.
Once parked, we attempted to call Greg to find their location. If you've never been to Popham, it's an overwhelmingly massive beach at low tide, (which it was) and about the size of a postage stamp at high tide. The cell signal out there is like a yoyo. One bar 3G, No Service, two bars 3G, one bar E, Searching......two bars etc. after roaming the general area that we knew they were in and walking right past them once, we all finally formed one cohesive group in the sticky sand that Greg loves so much and had fun walking along the sharply ridged sand, wading into the waves, locating and digging up the Pendleton's soccer ball,





Watching the kids find creative ways to use driftwood and wondering which one was going to get smacked on the noggin when it all fell down,





and feeling the wind in your face, at the summit of the small island that is accessible during low tide.












What a gorgeous day on the Maine Midcoast!

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Volleyball, anyone?

After a few games of volleyball at the church picnic today, in which I had one or two unsuccessful attempts at returning the ball, James Pray decided to make fun of my short tyrannosaurus arms. I am now known to him as Miss Rex.



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Popping over to Popham

Ahhhh. Blogging while watching Patriots Preseason.....football season is so close I can smell it.
There, now on with the rest of my post.

Jim left his phone on the bathroom sink this AM so I had a good excuse to take a beautiful drive down to Popham, where his current job site is.





The house has a direct view of Fort Popham at the mouth of the Kennebec River. I love the beauty of the Maine Coast.

Leaving Tugboat Lane, I continued down to take a look at Fort Baldwin. I'm scouting out a bunch of possible Maine History field trips for Atira and Tell for this year. In our area, there are so many great places to see and things to do but you have to squeeze a lot of them into the summer because when school starts after Labor Day, their doors are shut until Memorial Day. I see a lot of field trips in my near future.

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80's Television Flashback

Gloomy gray skies and the drizzle of rain on the rooftop made for a perfect movie day. I took the self-proclaimed 3 Musketeers (Tell, Ben and Zack) along with Atira to see Smurfs 2. It fulfilled the requirements for entertaining three young boys and therefore I consider it a watchable movie but I always wonder why people try to take a good thing and redo it. I enjoyed the Smurfs cartoons as a child but do we need two movies about them? Was there a need to redo Looney Tunes? They were funny, and clever enough to watch over and over. You could just say I'm nostalgic except for the fact that even 7 year old Tell agrees that the new ones are not worth watching. There not even remotely funny. It's the Classic ones for him. So, being in that 80's flashback frame of mind, when my phone rang this afternoon, blaring out the Magnum P.I. opening theme song, I knew it was time for a Magnum Marathon.






Can we get through all 8 seasons before Jubal up and moves away? We shall see. We watched the first two episodes tonight and the most striking thing that Jim and I noticed was how old all the cars looked to us. It will most certainly be an 80's education for the kids.





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Brunks and Birthdays

I love spending time with family so tonight was a blessing. Bryan, Bethany and the kids leave tomorrow to head back to PA so they joined the Buxton Brunks for supper, along with Uncle Frank, visiting from D.C., Aunt Suci and Mom and Dad. It was a house full and we made the most of it, celebrating Frank's upcoming birthday and Mom's recent 60th birthday. It is noteworthy to mention that Bryan did not eat any birthday candles this evening.















During this particular visit to Maine, Nolan and Bryan spent a bit of time together at camp and have discovered how very similar they are. This is a little scary.....





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Quotable Camping II

It was a full day at camp with the Foremans and Johnstons again.








There was swimming, outdoor cooking, chatting around the smoky fire, reading in the summer shade and really just too much for the blog so I think I'll resort to some quotes again.

Nolan: (talking about people personalities)
"Tell is a different one."

Roger:" That's irony."
--------------------

Nolan looking at directions on medication:
"Take one tablet by mouth daily.(laughs) How else would you consume it? Hmm. I'm going to stick a bit in my ear."

Roger talking with Jim and Jubal about the differences between anorexia and bulimia:
"I don't really know. The only eating disorder I'm really up on is gluttony."

A mini golf game this evening was the scene of several memorable moments, including Ben Foreman's hole in one and Nolan's constant good-natured disagreement with the scorekeeper.














When Atira missed the wide hole through the building at one point, Jubal was heard to say: "At least we know she can hit the broad side of a barn"

Near the end of the game, Zack lost his golf ball off the course. His father inquired at the next hole, "Did you find your ball, Zack? There's no rough for the ball to get lost on. It's mini golf......Honestly, it's like losing a checker."

We've had a full day and shall sleep well tonight.






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Quotable Camping

First evening camping with the Foremans and Johnstons at Flat Rock Bridge Campground, Lebanon, Maine:

Driving down:
Sandy: Maybe this will become a
tradition!
Roger: Let's just get through
tonight.

While setting up the tent:

Young Ben Foreman: OK, if we don't get this set up tonight, where are we gonna sleep?





After the tent is set up:
Roger (sitting in the chair):
I think Jubal and I are going to have a competition to see who can so the absolute least for the rest of the night.
















(12:15 am) Teenager at the next site over: Dad you made my waffles go bad.

The Mom: Do you want an English muffin?

(And now I hear bacon sizzling)

Seriously?

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Boxed In

While we were packing the truck up with camping equipment, with a bit of tape from Jim, Tell found ways to keep himself busy.






Tell's quote of the evening while boxed in:
"Wait! How am I supposed to go to the bathroom?!"

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