What we did this weekend

My first "gig" with a bagpiper. What fun! Father of our friend Krista, he played "Highland Cathedral" while Amy walked in with her father At the rehearsal he told me he was going to come all decked out in his regalia. I thought, kind of, that he was kidding. Obviously, you should never take an Irish/Scotsman lightly! He told me the whole getup ran about a thousand bucks. He had everything from the kilt to the shoes to the socks, etc. He even had a traditional dagger in his sock. That's what she said.

One of the camps on the lake....where our friends Glenn and Krista were staying. They have a certain "Adirondack" feel to them. Very rustic and beautiful, and, according to Glenn, very very reasonable. Hmmm.........
I dont know about all you folks in Mass, CT, Jersey, and Egypt, but here yesterday it was WINDY!!! Here's a shot of East pond with the "hills of Rome" in the background. East pond is one of the Belgrade Lakes. A beautiful place.

This weekend is hopefully the final weekend--in a string of the five past weekends--where we have true commitments. Ever since the middle of August, we've had something going on each Saturday and Sunday, and now I think we have a respite until the holidays start up....

My commitment this weekend involved playing in a friend's wedding Saturday night. I wrote them their wedding song, but they decided to(--for the ceremony's sake, and because they got married outside where there were no places to hook up speakers and mics--) have me play some instrumental stuff while people were seated, play some more stuff while the mothers were all being seated, and then play a special piece I wrote while the moms lit the unity candle. I had a blast, because I got to just chill out and have fun and not have to worry about being in the "spotlight" which is usually the case when I sing. People dont pay as much attention when you are just doing instrumental, and that is fine with me!

The wedding was at the Alden Camps in Oakland. The Alden Camps are right on East Pond, and they are beautiful. The reception was in a refurbished carriage house, which added a lot of charm. And the groom (eat your heart out Thurston!) is the head chef at "The Last Unicorn," which is a fancy restaurant in Waterville. He cooked the food for his own wedding (!) and we had lobster/crab salad sandwiches, prime rib with cucumber sauce, lots of fancy meats on sticks, fancy shrimp things, and many many chutneys....and much much more. EXCELLENT food. I also sat with WHS's very own school resource officer, Josh, and his family. The highlight of the evening had to be when this other random guy at our table started introducing himself and his girlfriend, asking where everyone was from. When I said how I was originally from Mass, he says "oh yeah...I knew a kid from Mass...I went to college with him.....you dont by any chance know Jay Ponticelli do you??" Wicked small world, and for the next several hours we reminisced our favorite Jay Ponticelli moments. I really miss Jay since he died.

On the Amanda and Callum front: Yesterday they went with 'ampy and mee-mee down to Freeport where Callum got new sneakers, a snow suit from LL Bean (which means we'll have to return it after the first flurry) and enough clothes from Carters and Osh Kosh to fill a UHaul. We'll have to post some pictures just of that.

Today we went to church, came home, watched half of the Pats game (the half when they were winning) and then worked outside while Callum slept. I did a bunch of firewood, Amanda cleared flower beds, we both planted a bush, and we just had a good old time working in our yard.