Up, Up and Oh. Wait.

For quite a few years I have desired to view the lift off of the hot air balloons at the Great Falls Balloon Festival. This year I gathered the family (and little Kingsley) and we made the trip into downtown Lewiston.

Parking was very easy. For a small donation to one of the local sports teams, we could use the Public parking garage just a block from Simard-Payne Memorial Park, site of the launches.

The atmosphere and food had the feel of a fair as we shared fried dough, fries, and free pizza samples. Nolan also indulged in a bacon cheeseburger, his mouth chewing in rhythm to the strains of "cheeseburger in paradise" being belted out into the evening air from across the park.

Where there are crowds of people, I occasionally find myself wondering about them. There are those times when you don't need to wonder. They will tell you about themselves without a word. I think we can safely assume this man was part of Red Sox Nation:

 

I've seen worse tattoos.

What I haven't seen yet is a hot air balloon launch. The breeze that created such a lovely August evening also caused the grounding of the balloons. At 7 pm we headed home, disappointed that my only balloon viewing was a large woven basket, with two helium-filled spheres, tethered by string, swaying in the background behind it. 

Dismantling

Between our obsolete furnace in the basement and some Hodgdon prepared lobster, Jim spent last Saturday pulling things apart.

The lobster is long gone but the impact of the furnace dismantling continues. I was able to use the huge space to create an area for crafting. Thank you, Jim!

Back on the Paddle Again

One muggy morning this week, Nicole and I met at the Foreman's who are on their annual trek to visit family in Pennsylvania's Amish country. 

During their excursion last year, I used those two weeks to paint their back porch, build a pallet arch and create some small gardens off their back porch as a surprise 50th birthday gift for Sandy. My gardening project coincided perfectly with the arrival of my parent's and grandparent's new home which necessitated the removal of quite a few of Dad's well established plants and bushes. I was glad to give them a new home on Centre Street. 

You might occasionally find Sandy out singing to her plants but you won't ever find her weeding them so Nicole and I thought this might be something to do during her absence this year. After a couple hours of work, Nicole and I were thrilled to discover that the garden was indeed, still there. 

 I hope Nicole is just as thrilled to discover that my blog is also indeed, still here.

Last week, as she, Jen Hodgdon and I dipped our kayak paddles into the ripples of Duck Puddle Pond, Nicole reminded me that it had been months since I had written anything on my blog. Thank you for the gentle prodding, my friend. I'm back on the paddle again!