A Hurricane in Maine!

It may seem like hurricane season is over, but not here in coastal Maine. In fact I think Rockland was named the eye of the storm last Tuesday. Sitting in my new office overlooking the harbor, I felt like I was the captain of the ship in Perfect Storm. Walls of water and wind buffeted the building all day. I hear there were 10 foot waves in the harbor. The wind gusts were clocked about 60 mph.

I made it home ok, and we hunkered in for the evening to the sound of a shuddering house. It was so loud, I had to put my earplugs in to go to sleep. Morning dawned all quiet on the eastern front, but a look out the window showed roof shingles all over the lawn. It probably took off about 20% from the old part of the house. Water soaked into the upstairs guest bedroom ceiling and then ran down and ended up in the ceiling just inside the door from the front porch. It blew over a cedar tree on the property line that was about 50 feet tall, and also blew over two 150 year old lilac bushes near the front of the house. Luckily Wednesday was clear and calm. So guess what Rob did to celebrate Thanksgiving? Nothing like rushing to patch the roof before the next storm starts which was today about 2 pm. Keep your fingers crossed that it will hold out till spring when it's easier to replace the roof.

Small Town Political Process

I registered fairly early last year so that I could participate in the local caucus (as a Californian, I'd never participated in a caucus because they don't have them there). I wrote about this in my Feb. 22 blog entry. Then in the spring (June?) we had the primary votes for local issues. That was pretty much the same as I was used to.

Come the evening of November 3, I received a call from my in-town office of the Democratic committee. They asked if I was planning to vote the next day, and would I be voting Democratic for the whole ticket? They were happy to discuss the pros of the various candidates (Congress and state legislature). Around 10 am on November 4, there was a knock at the door. A very nice lady (of retirement age) from the local Democratic office asked if I had voted yet. I think she was prepared to drive me down to the polling place if I didn't have a way to get there! Now that's how you get out the vote in coastal Maine!

I fell for Fall

We had more friends come from California to visit for the fantasic fall colors. The weather was spectacular all of the days so we got out and saw the sights. The colors lasted a long time this year, which I hear is the result of a good rainy summer. Remember me telling you about the 3 weeks of constant rain that added a patina of mold to my baskets in July-August? Yup, good for the trees. We also got out for some great hiking to some new places. Turns out there is much more conserved land around here than I thought, and there are trails on many properties that are open to the public. Here's Jenny overlooking Megunticook Lake from Fernald's Neck Preserve. Even though there weren't alot of flowering plants for her to see, she was fascinated by the mosses, lichens, and diverse variety of fungi on all our walks. She even helped us identify the trees and shrubs, both in our yard and on the trail.

We had our first real frost on October 29. It was 27 when I got up the next morning. Up to that point I had not seen any effect on our plants (well, except for the tomatoes and squashes), but the next morning the hydrangeas were brown and the morning glories were no longer glorious at any time of day. With the last gasps of warm weather, the nurseries marked down their plants even more, so I couldn't resist. Jenny and I made some strategic acquisitions and created another big bed extension. The red color of this viburnum is a great bright spot in the front yard.

The leaf peeping season is almost over. The last of our guests left on Wednesday and the house is feeling a little empty. We sure enjoyed everyone visiting us and being able to share this wonderful place with you. For some reason, no one has told us they're coming our way for the next, oh, 7 months!! Chicken!

Girls' Getaway

I got invited to spend a week in Florida in early October with my sister-outlaw and my two nieces. It was fun in the sun and sand, and we had a blast! I got a long-desired (and deserved) chance to swim in aqua blue seas with water as warm as a bath. Our condo was right across the street from the beach on Ana Maria island, just south of Tampa. I didn't even take my binoculars, that's what kind of trip this was!

These girls know how to have a good time. We all had umbrellas for our lounge chairs and small tables to hold our frozen concoctions that helped us hold on. We played cards, read books, and stayed up late laughing and talking.

We did see some cool sea life on the sandy bottom, an amazing variety of shells on the beach, porpoises frolicking nearby, a frigate bird (didn't need my binocs for that one), and caught a few waves bodysurfing. It doesn't get much better than that! Thanks ladies!

I finally saw...

a MOOSE! It walked right across the road in front of us. I had taken my mom to the studio of a woman who makes beautiful woven rugs. On the drive back a bull with a smallish set of antlers stepped onto the road. He quickly crossed and disappeared into the woods on the other side before either of us could snap a picture. We could hear him crashing through the brush for a minute or so. It was about 3:30 pm and it was less than 10 miles from the house near the town of Cushing. Too cool! I've also heard there might be moose living in the bog on the other side of the hill from us. There is quite a bit of protected land around the bog, and it's apparently big enough to support a few moose. Need to check it out.

Summertime, and the Living is Easy

Wow - I must have been busy to not post an update in so long. August went by in a whirlwind. The kids and grandkids were here, we saw Arlo Guthrie again, and we hosted a big farewell party for Gretchen before she left for Namibia for the next 18-24 months. She's still offline, so we are missing out on hearing about her adventure. We plan to visit her sometime next year. We also made a trip to Brookhaven, Long Island, over Labor Day weekend for a visit with Rob's brothers and to enjoy a great summer beach weekend.

We got away for a visit in CA in early September. We had a beautiful week spent visiting family in Arroyo Grande, old friends in San Luis Obispo, driving up Hwy. 1, lunch at Nepenthe, and camping with our best camping buddies, the Happy Campers, in Capitola. It was a wonderful relaxing trip.

My mom is visiting now, and I'm enjoying taking her around to see the sights of mid-coast Maine. It's definitely headed into fall. Some of the trees have started to turn beautiful yellow, orange, and red already. We've canned some of the pears off our tree, and are hoping the tomatoes on the vine will still ripen (not likely). We've eaten green beans, tons more swiss chard, and our first potatoes. A vine that volunteered out of the compost pile has produced four large pumpkin type squashes, but they have yet to turn orange so who knows what strange mutant squash they are. Next to be harvested will be sun chokes - a first for me.

The flower garden has done pretty well of late. Check out these morning glories! Now that I know how the plants look as they mature, I got into a frenzy of moving things around. Too much fun! I made a couple last runs to the nursery because of great sale prices and picked up some new fun babies. Next year's garden will be soooo nice!

Miss you all! Start planning your 2009 visits! xoxo Gail

Office, Sweet, Office

It's always good to have a deadline. We had guests arriving on July 30, so the office renovation had to be done by then. And it was! It is always interesting to see what unexpected things pop up at the last minute. Like the problem that my "desk" (an old farm table) was too tall. Rob took the top off, and we carefully carried the bones throught the bathroom, down the stairs, out the door, across the yard, and up the steep barn stairs to his shop, where he did his usual magic in a couple hours. He cut off the top of the legs and cross framing, then routed out on one side where my legs now fit under very comfortably.

We also decided it was time to finish the front hall stairs. Last fall when Rob was refinishing floors, he had the stairs ground down to remove 100 years of paint. They have been naked ever since. We started with a final sanding, then pre-stain coat, stain coat, and two coats of polyurethane with a sanding in between. We replaced the balustrades, and it's amazing how finished it looks! (oh, that's what it's supposed to look like...)

We've also had some fun lately. We spent a night at a friend's "camp" (translation - cabin on a lake) at Swan Lake. It was built by her grandfather in the 30's, and was an amazing place. It has two sleeping porches on either end where we slept in screened-in comfort. G&T's on the porch while watching the sunset across the lake, and a swim after brunch the next day. It doesn't get much better than that.

Our friends from California came in time for the world famous Rockland Lobster Festival. Many, many lobsters met their maker this weekend. Unfortunately, the weather was foggy and rainy so we didn't get to show off the view of the central coast of Maine from Mount Battie. But we took them to our favorite restaurant, Cafe Miranda, toured the Farnsworth art museum, communed with the Belted Galloways in Rockport, and enjoyed the Camden shops. We cooked and ate several lobsters, drank a few good wines, and had a lovely time. We finished off their stay with a walk on the breakwater at 630 am. The lobstermen were checking their traps, and as always, I felt like I was standing in the middle of Penobscot Bay. It was so great to have visitors. A wonderful break from too much work.

We were back at it today at our rental house. Our tenant moved out, so we are going to get it all spiffed up and put it on the market. Our realtor thinks we have a good chance of selling it quickly. A big bank is moving its call center into town, so there will be people looking for homes in that price range (hopefully).

Miss you all!! xoxo G

Boats and Blues

It's been a big week here in Lake Wobegone, my hometown...the weekend started early with the windjammer parade. Several majestic windjammers paraded around the lighthouse on the end of the Rockland harbor breakwater. Quite a sight! The breakwater is about a mile long, so the water at the end is very deep. That let the ships sail close enough to see the whites of their eyes. One ship had a bagpiper, one had a trumpter, and one had a cheery group of marauding pirates who taunted the landlubbers. Check out the ship with red sails...

Then Friday night we went to see the Wailin' Jennys at the Strand. They are an amazing trio of young women who harmonize like angels. They sing about a third of their songs a cappela, and the rest are accompanied by them playing a diversity of instruments. They travel widely, so I highly recommend you take in a show.

Saturday morning found us aboard the speed timing boat for the Searsport lobster boat races. About 25 lobster boats of all sizes raced in a series of heats about a mile across the Penobscot River straight for us. We sat in a friend's Chriscraft cabin cruiser on the finish line. He used a radar gun to record their speed. The fastest of the regular working boats was about 55 mph. Some boats had been suped up with those giant on deck engines that can break your eardrums, but most of them seemed to be regular lobster fishermen. There are some sponsorships to help pay for the gas, but there's no prizes. They do it for the bragging rights.

Saturday was also the start of the North Atlantic Blues Festival. The stage was set up down at the harbor (where the Lobster Festival music will be in a couple weeks). I'm not much of a blues afficiando, but the headliner was Elvin Bishop. We skipped the two full days of sitting in the sun and instead joined in for the Saturday night "pub crawl." Main Street was blocked off and bands set up at most of the intersections. Plus every pub in the downtown area also had a band playing. It was fun to mosey up and down and take in some amateur but pretty good blues.

To top it all off, last night we went to see Cokie Roberts at the Strand. She came to talk about the role of women in early American history - the founding mothers - about which she has just published a second book. It was a fund raiser for the General Henry Knox Museum. Her research shows how important the wives of the famous leaders were to winning the revolutionary war. These women were very politically involved, taking on issues separate from their husbands, including lobbying Congress for approvals and funding. She sprinkled some great current day political anecdotes in with the detailed insights she gained from reading the letters of the men and women of the era. It was quite a treat. The best part is all this stuff is going on right here in little ol' Rockland. This is a happenin' place, and y'all need to come and visit!

An East Coast Vacation

I took the week of the 4th off and spent it on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with my aunt and two cousins. We were given a beach house in Wellfleet for free for the week. Sweet. We had a fabulous view of Wellfleet bay and harbor and its dramatic tides - mud flats and beached boats twice a day. The rest of the time it was full of sailboats or we watched the sunset.

Cape Cod wasn't what I had expected. I had heard stories that it was full of strip malls and tourist traps. Out on the eastern part where we were 70% of the land is the Cape Cod National Seashore. There are lots of trails, beaches, some light houses, and open space. It was really great and not very touristy at all. The little towns were quite quaint. When you stay in a town on Cape Cod, residents can get a parking sticker to use at the freshwater lakes which were fantastic for swimming. We also toured galleries and pottery shops, and ate fantastic seafood. Other than that, we were just lazy, mostly hanging out on the screened-in porch. I did get some great insights on politics from my aunt.

We're down to the final stages of the office remodel - painting. We're having company from California in a couple weeks, so the clock is ticking. The next photos you see will have the furniture back in the room.

We're eating fresh peas out of the garden, and the tomato plants are growing great. One tomato is even looking pinkish. We're still eating lettuce and swiss chard, but the spinach and arugula are done.

I'm feeling sorry for my California friends - fires making the air smoky almost everywhere and 112 degrees in Sacramento today. Yikes!

Moving, again

I thought I wasn't going to have to do anymore moving for like forever! I never want to see another cardboard box! OK, it isn't us. We helped Gretchen move her stuff from Arlington, Virginia, back to Maine.

Thursday we took Amtrak from Portland to Union Station in Washington, D.C. We changed trains in Boston which involved taking the subway from one Amtrak station to another. It was easy except that we arrived right before the start of the Celtics hometown celebration parade (for winning the NBA championship). OMG, there were alot of green people everywhere. The rest of the train ride was great, with some fantastic coastline sights all along the shore of Connecticut. Overall, it was an 11 hour ride.

My cousin Melissa met us at Union Station where she had just been involved in a minor car accident while waiting for us. No one hurt, and no damage, so after a million questions they let us go. We spent Friday and Saturday touring the Mall museums - Natural History, Air and Space, Native American (great architecture in the top photo), and the National Gallery of Art. Fantastic! If you've never been to the Smithsonian, you must go. They are a great example of Government doing something right for the citizens. Gretchen took us on a moonlight walk to the White House, Washington Monument, and half way to the Jefferson Memorial. They are quite spectacular all lit up.

We met some of Gretchen's wonderful friends, and then we helped her pack a small moving van with all her worldly possessions. Rob and I drove the truck back on Monday - 12 hours. Some things went in our barn, but luckily Gretchen found new slave labor for the unloading. ;)

The Sheetrock Marriage Test

I've been a great junior carpenter, but I've met my match in sheetrock. I could handle the weight of it - no problem carrying it upstairs and lifting it. Rob of course supported most of the weight when we were doing the ceiling panels, with his head or his arms fully extended over his head. Since he had to do that, I had to try to move the sheets to where he wanted them, without him being able to see. We finished the flat ceiling panels, but when it came to the tricky angled side panels, that was too much. The house is really old so nothing is plumb anymore. Since he couldn't see both ends at once, we ended up switching places multiple times with Rob trying to align it and me holding it in place. Rob doesn't get frustrated easily, but...

Lucky for us, it was a rainy day the next day, so he had his two main crew members come over. They are in the earliest stages of their new construction project, so there's not much to do if it rains. [A little aside - I couldn't understand how they can work outside all winter in Maine, but are stopped by a light rain. Duh - can't use electric power tools outdoors in a rain storm.] So in 2 short hours they finished the whole room, and I didn't hear a single growl of frustration. It's another example of why it pays to hire people who know what they are doing.

The big outside accomplishment was creating a whole new perennial bed in the front yard. Digging up the lawn, hauling the lawn and it's hidden rocks to the back 40, adding the soil amendments, and planting. It is a great focal point out the front windows. I can't wait for some of them to bloom. We included some winter interest plants - red twigged dogwood, beach plum, and bunch grasses. These will either have winter color, or structure to hold some snow like branches or grass seed stalks for vertical interest.

We've hired a cat sitter for Oscar while we're in D.C. Keep your fingers crossed!

May showers brought June flowers

Ayah from Maine! When the weather finally turns really nice, we sure get busy around here. I can't wait till we finish some of these major projects so we can go play...but not yet.

The most recent major accomplishment was getting realistic about the rock wall. Rob asked the masons to come over and finish it for us. What would have taken us 6 months, they literally did in 2 hours! It is beautiful!

I'm having a lot of fun in the yard. I've been hitting the local plant sales and exchanges, a nursery we found where the prices are a little better, and adopting plants from friends. We've created new perennial beds, expanded the existing ones, added new trees, and of course are working on the fruit and vegetable garden. Rob built me a compost bin and some raised beds. We couldn't agree on the compost bins for a long time (I wanted them close to the barn, he wanted them out in the back 40, I wanted non-fussy pallets, he wanted a design a carpenter would be proud of). I won this time, and he recently admitted that I was right!

We've been eating arugula, lettuce, and spinach for about 3 weeks. The peas at the far end of this photo are now about 2 1/2 feet tall, but not blooming yet. We got a couple nice tomato plants in the raised beds and Arch has promised some of his miracle Westport Island tomato plants (I think he has about 75 in pots).

We've made some progress on my office renovation. Here's the basic framing - rafters and ceiling. It is about 18 inches higher than it was. It will really help with the feeling in that room. Next the insulation went up, we tore off more plaster on the sloped walls, and Rob added the rest of the ceiling framing. The dry wall is here, but we're dreading that heavy work.

We're off to DC next week to help Gretchen move her stuff back to Maine. We're taking AmTrak down and staying with Cousin Melissa for a few days. We plan to hit a least one Smithsonian venue. Miss you all!

Signs of Spring

I'm back in Maine after 2 weeks out west - California and Colorado. I had a fabulous visit with many, many friends and family - and I got some important work done as well.

In my absence the peonies grew more than an inch per day, the tulips are just opening, and the Spring Peepers have started peeping. A Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer, synonym Hyla crucifer) is a small tree frog widespread throughout the eastern US. The two sure sounds of spring here are the peepers and red-wing blackbirds defining their territories.


Rob was a busy guy while I was gone! He made significant progress on major upgrades on his woodshop in the barn (220 electical, insulation, workbenches, tool organization) which has made it very functional, finally. This will allow him to take on more house projects. His biggest accomplishment was completing the demolition on my office - the front room upstairs in the old part of the house. He removed the ceiling and insulation so we can raise the ceiling and upgrade insulation. He says he's really glad I wasn't around to experience the mess. It revealed the great post and beam construction (no nails up there).

The shower doors are in, the spring garden is coming up, and we started on the rock retaining wall in the back. Whew! And it's only May!

Into the yard...

Let's start off with new essential tools. Here you see Rob on the new tractor. Yes, it's more than a mower, it's a work horse (work pony?). We've been clearing brush and vines in the back 40, and taking down dead trees for firewood. I'm enjoying the physicality of hauling it all around in the wheelbarrow, but there's enough of it that I'd never get to do anything else. So the pony has a trailer to do the hauling.

This week I've seen several people out in their front yards with a power tool I've never seen before. It has a long handle like a weed whacker, but at the bottom is a cylinder that spins. There are rubber "blades" along the cylinder. It's a power broom! They use it to sweep the sand and gravel off of their lawns, sidewalks and driveways that got deposited there all winter.

The spring migration of birds is well underway. I've never lived where the migration in my yard was so noticeable. All winter we had chickadees, downy woodpeckers, white breasted nuthatch, blue jays, and cardinals at the feeders. About two weeks ago new birds started showing up: juncos, hairy woodpecker, white-throated sparrows, titmouse, eastern phoebe, and yesterday, American goldfinch. I've also seen a lot more hawks and turkey vultures. I learned about a nearby preserve where I can go see nesting bobolinks. Anybody want to come see them in late June??

Here's a picture of one of my recent weekend projects. I went out in the woods and cut these beautiful bright red branches. I've been told it is red stemmed dogwood, but I'll have to go back when they leaf out to be sure. I've made a few trips to the local nurseries to further my eastern gardening education. I am totally shocked at the prices! Some very common California garden plants in one gallon size that can be purchased at Lowe's for about $5-10 cost about $30 here. A five gallon shrub can easily be $60, and I saw a large rhododendron for $130! There's no way I'll be able to do the landscaping plan I have at that rate. Rob's going to try his wholesale contacts, and I'll go look at Home Depot and maybe the internet. I guess that explains why most Maine yards are mostly lawn...good thing we have a new mower!

The Change of Seasons - from winter to mud

They litterally say there are five seasons here in Maine - the new one being mud season. It is squashed between the snowy days when the snow still sticks to the ground and the warm days when the trees actually have leaves. Storms still seem to arrive here every 3-4 days, so it doesn't have much time to dry out on those sunny days. Oscar seems to have sprouted hair on the bottoms of his feet that was never there in CA. The hair has an amazing capacity for absorbing muck and then redistributing it all around the house if I don't catch him and maul him with a towel right away.

The lengthening days are wonderful. It's light here until 7 pm. Since we just passed the vernal equinox, I'm guessing that by June 21 it will be light here until 10 pm (and starting well before 5 am probably). Rob is hoping that a little warmth will start to accompany the light so he can spend all those bright hours tinkering in the barn. His shop is coming together - new lights, new work tables. He's also hoping for more warmth so the conduit that feeds power to the barn will thaw. He needs to run a 220 line from the house, but can't put the wire through the frozen pipe. I haven't really asked the details, but aren't water and electricity supposed to be mutually exclusive?

I have some quirky Mainer sayings for you (courtesy of Gretchen a former member of the SMYM - Subversive Maine Youth Movement). These are slogans for local towns:
Bangor (pronounced without a Maine accent as bang-grr): Bang-ah? I hahdly know-ah!
Belfast: Go to hell fast in Belfast! or Belfast is where the chicken meets the sea!
Please do not ask me to explain...

A sure sign of spring - there are white plastic buckets attached to maple trees all over. It's sap tapping time. They're making the new batches of maple syrup. Some communities and farms around here have sap boiling demonstrations. Hmmm, what do you suppose is so fascinating about watching sap boil? Is this another thing that only true Mainers can understand? For those of us from away, will we always focus on the result and miss the point? Enquiring minds want to know.

Spring Shower

Oh, I guess I should've waited until April 1 to post this :)

We had a minor crisis in the middle of tiling the shower. The blue stripe was originally a different type of blue glass tiles. When they arrived they looked nothing like the sample we had chosen from. The tile guy was almost ready for them, so I rushed off to the tile store. We were able to substitute these cool retro glass tiles. In a weird twist of fate, they had it in stock in their warehouse only because the manufacturer had been through for a sales trip recently and left some small supplies. Karma? So it arrived by 8 the next morning. The glass door sales guy measured this morning and will give us another price induced heart attack.

We pruned the pear tree on Sunday. It has lots of buds, but it's amazing a gnarly old thing like that will last much longer. We planted seeds on the last day of my garden class, but I'm starting to think I need to put a greenhouse on my wish list. I sat out in Archie's greenhouse on Sunday morning, and it must have been 75 degrees in there (35 degrees outside). I hear it's almost impossible to grow tomatoes here without one.

Spring?

Spring is really important, especially for those of us who don't have it! People around here start talking about spring being just around the corner about February 15. And it is so easy to get caught up in it. I am taking a gardening workshop through the local adult education program. Virtually all the plants are new to me, and the other issues seem foreign as well - underlying ledge, starting the vegetable garden indoors, garden pests, dealing with mildew because it rains a lot here, not having to water, and the list goes on.

Our yard is pretty much a blank slate. I've been checking out books from the library on garden design, stonescaping, and hardy perennials. So here's my preliminary new design for the yard. It's clearly not done, but I'll only be able to tackle part of it anyway. Rob is good at reminding me that we have to plan for snow management in the winter months, so I can't put planters or walkways where the snow plow needs to push the snow.


Maybe spring will actually arrive soonish...the first day lily tips are showing above the ground (to be covered by a dusting of snow today). I cut forsythia branches about two weeks ago and brought them in. They are blooming in the warmth. Another sign of the possibility of spring is the arrival of the migrating turkey vultures. I saw the first one this morning over the meadow across the street. Should I allow myself to hope?

Weekend Warriors

Here's a typical pose for us this weekend. Rob is finishing the sheetrock behind the new washer dryer. We had to have them delivered this week after 3 weeks without. I think we did about 7 loads this week - a record for just two of us.

On the left of the picture is the new shower, now with the cement board installed (by Rob) and the plumbing finished. The tile guy is coming tomorrow to get started on the shower pan. My project for the weekend was painting our bedroom, which is only about 2/3 done. So many angles around the dormer!

On my way to the grocery store this morning, it was about 35 degrees. I saw a guy on the downhill side of 50 jogging with only shoes, tiny little running shorts, and gloves on! Some of these Mainers are crazy! I feel like "I've seen it all now", but I wish I hadn't seen so much either...

And our final weekend warrior is Oscar the Cat. He's finally decided to brave the brave new world. He started venturing out this week for very short trips on the deck. Now he's graduated to exploring the barn and who knows where else. His trips only last an hour or two at most. He really dislikes walking in the snow. It either gives way under him or makes crunchy noises. Still seems quite scared of car noises - good!

New and Improved!

Welcome to the recently renovated Adventures in Maine! Same great place, but a new theme. Since there have been requests to see glimpses of my new life in Maine, well, here ya go. The road trip blog pages are still there in the archives if you need a laugh - especially the comments posted by you!

Today I'm sharing some of the fun we're having doing home renovations. See handyman Rob and his trusty hammer who built pantry shelves for the cellar way. We have the new kitchen appliances installed - oh what a relief it is. In addition to greenbacks going out for this stuff, I managed to sell the old refrigerator, washer, dryer, and the fancy Jenn-Air range. I used the tried and true Craig's List, plus the local Maine variety which is called Uncle Henry's. Forever, it has been a print version of 250 pages of the smallest type possible with everything from airplanes to yard sales. Here is a sample of the hours of entertainment to be had in every weekly edition: "Looking for a barn in the stetson newport area" or "Cheap, clean heat. This will make the oil boys cry. I bought one for my buddy, did not know at the time he planned on living in florida for the winter."

We're about half way through with the downstairs bath/laundry renovation. For some reason, I just couldn't live with the washer/dryer in the living room. So we moved the wall to leave room for shelves for electonics and books (middle pic), and gained enough room in the bath to put a stackable washer/dryer. The new floor is in, and next week they'll install the shower tile.

Here's the tip of the week. If you are thinking of flying in to visit, try to book your flights right into Rockland airport. I saved about 50% on my tickets to California in April.

See you soon? - xo, Gail

February

Hi all - anybody still watching this?

I now have a better feeling for that old adage about how many names the Eskimos have for snow. It is quite amazing how different it is from day to day. When it is really cold, the snow is dry and fluffy and blows around making sparkling crystalline drifts that look like granulated sugar. But, it often snows when it is much warmer, sometimes above 32 degrees. Then it comes down wet and slushy as soon as it hits something. This type of snow is the most beautiful because the flakes stick together in big clumps as they are falling and then it sticks to everything making it just gorgeous here.

Everyone is starting to talk about spring. February 1 was called the half way point of winter, but I don't believe them. The seed catalogs have arrived and are great for dreaming of summer's bounty. On Sunday, Rob and I were out in the backyard plotting out the garden boundaries. Mind you there was 8 inches of snow on the ground, but it was 45 degrees. I signed up for a gardening class through the local adult education program, and went to a local garden club meeting this week. I have so much to learn!

I participated in our local Rockland Democratic caucus on Sunday. The caucus replaces the primary. You must either vote absentee or attend the caucus. It was very well attended (270 people) in a room made for 100. Unfortunately, it was very poorly organized so the program manager in me wanted to jump up and get it on track. They didn't explain the process, so some people left after the first vote count when there was at least one more to come. It was great listening to the lobbying speeches people made to convince others to support their candidate. We got through it, but it was aptly described like making sausage.

Miss you all! Gail

P.S.

Gail here - A few of you have asked for some continuing entries in the blog, about what it's like adjusting to Maine life. So here are a few observations from my first week:

The weather is a topic of conversation with everyone you meet (including the lady that took my fuel oil payment). You must cover today's weather, recent history, and what's in store. So...yesterday we broke high temperature records - it was 55 (the previous record was 50). Today it's still warm (high 40s) with gusty winds and patchy rain. But there are 3 storm systems headed our way over the next week.

(This was actually Carolyn's observation) In the winter, all Maine cars eventually end up the same color - sandy/salty muck brown. There's no point in washing my car till summer because it would be dirty as soon as I got back on the road.

Now I know why Mercedes Benz puts those windshield wipers on their headlights. You must wash them to get rid of that muck so you can see the road at night. "Washing" includes using snow to scrub them clean.

The big winter social event is going to the high school basketball game. It seems like the whole town shows up. Maybe I've just missed this because of skipping parenthood?

The Final Entry - Not!

Gail here - Dear friends, thank you for all your contributions to this blog and your words of support and encouragement. We really feel like you've been right there in the back seat all the way.

We've had a good few days here in Rockland introducing Carolyn to the Maine way of life. She's experienced days where it was only 1 degree, to today which was about 25 degrees when we woke up. The snow is melting off the roof and creating a shower over the porch. Carolyn and I reorganized the kitchen, unpacked a lot of boxes, rearranged some furnishings, and today we'll explore Rockland a little (including a trip to the dump - always a favorite!). We went to a local pub, and had a birthday party for her and Rob with a few Maine friends. They even brought CJ some birthday presents from the Dollar Store - a lobster bottle opener and a pennant from Kennebunkport complete with a picture of 41st president!

cj here - For those of you considering a car trip to visit Gail and Rob in Maine, we gathered a few travel facts for you. We spent $46 in tolls to use roads that must be paid for by now and $75 in ferry fees. You'd never be able to duplicate the laughs and fun that we shared so that is the "priceless" part.

My last photo contribution is me planting Gail in Maine soil, then I told her to "live long and prosper" and left her to "grow". She has an adventure ahead of her but Rob is here to help with the adjustment.

Gail again - So you can imagine what CJ was saying in this last photo - Stay!

The most important thing to close with is my deep and sincere gratitude to Carolyn for coming on this oddessey with me. It was a wonderful trip especially because we were together. Thank you, thank you! I feel like it was the perfect transition to this new life - a real journey in many ways. I will miss her, but I think she'll be back - she's discovered there really aren't any dragons here! To you all - please come and visit - the doors are never locked!

Mile 4964 - the final destination.

Carolyn here - I just watched Rob drive away to work with his truck COVERED in snow - too weird! Anyway, on with the story . . . The nanny took us directly to Aunt Doris's in Larchmont, close to New York City but with real houses and yards. We had a great visit with the family (Aunt Doris, cousin Melissa, Felix, Ron and Claire) telling stories and laughing and laughing and laughing (you get the idea). I got my first taste of a "real" NYC bagel and I'm ruined for life - what makes those so special??? We then drove back to Brookhaven for a New Years Eve dinner with Tom, Kath, Mike and Lynne. It's great for me to be able to put faces to these names that I hear about in Rob's stories. After dinner came the watching of the Honeymooners which I understand is rather traditional. These guys knew all the lines and laughed at what was coming up next. It was too cute and showed how close the brothers are.

We got going early the next day for the push into Maine. For some reason Gail was anxious to get to her new home so she was awake earlier than usual and we were up, showered and ready to move when Rob called and told us the "nor'easter" was coming. It took us about 10 minutes to pack the car, say our good-bys and hit the road. We managed to catch an earlier ferry off Orient Point Long Island and we were headed home - well at least Gail's home. It wasn't a long drive but it was rather interesting. A little rain, a little snow, a little rain etc. I was glad that we got the early start when the last half hour was in a good steady snow after dark. Gail got a chance to see her new car operate under snowy conditions and she was very pleased with its performance. When we pulled up to the house, Rob was out clearing away the berm of snow left by the latest snowplow pass. It all looked so homey with the lights of the house behind him.

We woke up this morning to a beautiful day, blue cloudless skies and a blanket of snow covering everything. The best part is that we don't have to get into the car today unless we choose to do so. In fact it's 10:30 am and we're still in our sweats. I can always claim that I have to finish a load of wash first before I have any clean clothes to put on. Rob and friends have got the house very organized already. There are still boxes left to unpack but they are hidden away and the house looks familiar with so many recognizable items out and about. There are even pictures on the walls! Oscar the cat gave Gail a proper greeting and is now acting like she has always been here. Stay tuned in for more photos and adventures in the coming days, I'm getting ideas for some cute photos. XXOO cj