Sorry......

As in "the game" of Sorry. This is one of Callum's "big three" games right now, meaning he is interested in this, Pass the Pigs, and Zingo (which can be seen on the table in back of him in this picture below). Zingo was his cousin Emma's favorite game and we used to play it with her all the time; it is like a childhood "bingo" where, instead of numbers, you try to fill your card with chips containing pictures of animals, nature things, etc.

Sorry is an appopriate game for Callum to be playing right now, since he is at that age where he wants to "win" at everything all the time. I notice this mostly with running bicycling; whenever we are out riding or running, everything needs to turn into a "race" and he has to be in the front. I have been really trying to express to him that winning isnt everything, but, as most four year olds would attest, " daddy, it IS."

But with games, there are rules, just as there are rules in life. The other day we really shared a "moment" together as we played while Maira napped. In the game of Sorry, if I land on the square where YOU are, then you have to put your gamepiece back to the "Start" square, and thus start the game over (even if you were very close to winning....as Callum was at that point). Well, low and behold, I landed on Callum's piece and explained to him how he had to go back to the beginning. Obviously, he didnt want to do this and he kept trying to change the subject. We went back and forth until finally I told him that if he wasnt going to follow the rules then I didnt want to play with him anymore (using a very calm voice, of course). IMMEDIATELY, he puts his gamepiece in the box, says he doesnt want to play anymore, and SPRINTS upstairs to his playroom, where I found him cowering in the corner. What followed was truly a magical conversation we shared about how sometimes in life, we have to do things we dont want to do, etc etc. At any rate, I think I reached him, because we went back down to play, and he started following the rules. Oh, and as a sidenote, without any help from me, he still won!

WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO A FOUR YEAR OLD?? You may say. Good point. But if there is one thing that I see from working with kids today it is that they are very entitled, they HAVE to win, they HAVE to have things work out their way, and, frankly, they dont have to work hard to achieve these 'rewards.' I really believe there is value in losing and learning how to deal with unfair, aggravating situations. Callum might think I am "mean" and "not fun to play with," as he says, but I am hopeful that someday he will thank me for practicing this type of 'tough love.'

Still, we always make sure to have FUN be the main focus of our game time! We love games and hope to play a lot of them with our kids. I know that Amanda and I enjoy playing mind games with each other all the time, for example!

Finally, I tried to upload more pictures from the race, but they wouldnt load the other night! Computer being fishy. #helpusgeorge

Here are Dave and I together after the race--it was, by the thermometer in my car's estimation, 87 degrees at the finish line. I could not drink enough that day!

And a big congratulations goes to Conner, who won second place in his age group (a huge accomplishment, since there were two hundred runners in the entire race!).. He got a cute widdly myedal, myeah, and everyone at the breakfast restaurant was complimenting him. ....He'll run XC for Wheaton College (where I went to Nursery School for a bit) in the fall. My mom will have him over for snyack, and Jay will no doubt harass him unmerciful.

River Running: Augusta Rail Trail 1/2 Marathon '12

I have a strange and mysterious relationship with water: When I was younger, at a beach with my cousins in Hingham, I remember walking off a virtual 'ledge' at the beach, going under, and consuming roughly 1.5 gallons of seawater. Years later, surf kayaking with my friend Tim, I virtually drowned off York Beach and in all actuality would have died if not for the Wilderness EMT skills of Tim who rescued me.

Yet, I cant seem to survive too far from the water--I always need to be in it or on it or under it or around it; my favorite runs occur in the miserable, raw rain (like tonight). Furthermore, ask me about my favorite and most life altering experiences of all time and they will involve my Outward Bound course where I sailed in outer Boston Harbor for a week on  an antique pulling boat AND my two consecutive years sailing on a WIndjammer off the coast of Camden (accompanied by 15 twenty four female Swiss exchange students, of course.....). Finally, I feel most at home being at one with the water while paddling my wife and children around in our Old Town Camper....

So where does running fit into this? You cant run in the water, sillypyants!! Well, wait a second. The rail trail half marathon squirrels along the banks of the Kennebec River. The Kennebec is a powerful and beautiful river: The same river 400 yards from our house....the same river the guys and I canoe on up in the Forks....the same river that flows through Augusta and Hallowell on its way down to the ocean in Popham Beach...

This run is a spiritual experience: Through the woods, 13.1 miles, along a powerfully life-giving river. People often ask me why in the world I would choose to run a half marathon. I still dont know. But the river is, as it was last year, my companion along the way. I dont know if this is fact or crap, but a Penobscot Indian Elder I once heard speak told a story about how 'water' gives off 'positive ions' that have legitimate healing properties. Well, they were at work on this past Sunday.


A great race. Former student (and now FRIEND) Conner ran it--pardon me, CRUSHED IT with a time of 1:41. Good friend and bicycling/running/musical/spiritual mentor Dave also had a great showing, setting for himself a PR of 2:02. I improved on my run drastically from last year as well--shattering my time by about 11 or 12 minutes: I earned a 1:54. A VERY tough, hot, muggy race, and, here it is Tuesday, and I am still a hurting unit for sure.


Here I am 'making my move' towards the finish line, trying to beat this guy I had in my sights for the last mile or so. I HAD to beat him....or else. In running terms, I was "reeling him in." For the last hundred yards or so I passed a bunch of people and thought I had him....and then HE turned it on as well....it made for a fun public spectacle. Looking at the results in the paper the next day, I see my time was 1:54.07. "Bucky Love," as I found out was his name, ran a 1:54.06!!!! WHAT THE HECK!!!! haha....

.

But it was all in good fun and spirit of the sport....Bucky was a good guy and we hugged after the race....

The biggest rainstorm I have EVER seen...

Seriously. The most impressive rainstorm I have ever seen in my life. It came upon us out of NOWHERE, and it lasted for a good twenty minutes. Lightning and thunder were ubiquitous, and both kids were screaming wrecks. I pulled into the driveway and carried them in, one by one, to the garage, which I left open, since we only went out for an hour or so to the library, etc.

The garage was COMPLETELY flooded. Our street had about three inches of rain on it. I videotaped a lot of it. I had to take both air conditioners out, since water was literally POURING through the front of the air conditioner. Upstairs, in the kid's room, the water was coming out so much that it was seeping THROUGH the floorboards, through the floor joists, and dripping from the door jamb on the entrance to our kitchen.

 The saddest part of this whole thing was the Lupine was outside for the WHOLE thing...I kept trying to "rescue" her, but to no avail. She was probably hiding someplace.....

Water poured into the chimney and went down the stovepipe, dripping out onto the woodstove hearth...down in the cellar, the 'ash cleanout' of the chimney overflowed with water and leaked out onto the floor. Absolutely crazy

Here is Hannaford, about two miles away from our house.....many of you know where I am talking about.....

These next two are taken at the end of our street, right under the railroad bridge. This is probably about a quarter of a mile away....this is "Main Street" in Fairfield......

And the craziest thing of all is that 30  minutes later, the sun was out, and it was an absolutely beautiful evening......

Batman and 1st Lake George trip

First, Callum and his birthday cake! Callum was four last week, and, of course, Amanda made him a Batman cake--his "party" will be next Saturday, but we still had him choose the dinner of his choice for his actual birthday on the fourteenth. When asked what he wanted, he immediately answered: Fried shrimp and meatballs and macaroni and cheese and watermelon. So that is what we had (although we didnt do the meatballs!).

We had our first official heat wave of the season starting a couple of days ago--it has been in the 90s for the past three days. I have my half marathon this sunday, and training in this humidity has been difficult! We took our first Lake George trip (first of MANY this summer!). Lake George is one of our favorite places to go; since it hasnt been that hot out yet this "summer," the water itself was a bit on the cool side...but still very refreshing

Maira is definitely little Ms independent--she has no fear of the water whatsoever. At swimming lessons, we dunk her under all the time, Callum constantly sprays her with the hose, she doesnt mind getting her hair washed in the tub, and, at Lake George, she just takes her little boat and goes off on her own.....

lots of lilly pads, little fish, and freshwater mussels shells, and more to look at at Lake George. And, chances are, we usually see a few bullfrogs as well......

It has already been fun being at home with kids--except when it is SO HOT, I dont know what to do. We usually take a nice walk in the morning before it gets too humid; for example, this morning we took the wagon and walked to Hillman's to get bread, donuts, and coffee. The bread was JUST out of the oven, and it smelled (and tasted) amazing. Also, they had blueberry donuts, which are WITHOUT DOUBT the best donuts I have ever had. And the large iced coffees help me focus on being with these two lovely kids all day....haha

Trek Across Maine

Amanda kicked butt in the Trek Across Maine this past weekend!!!! I am so proud of my wife for all her hard work and accomplishments in both riding 180 miles in three days, AND raising 1000.00 in pledges for the American Lung Association. We missed you this weekend mommy....but we are so glad you did the ride! Here are some pictures and commentary on the weekend:

Amanda was up at 3AM early on Thursday morning to meet Jon and Kelsey at their house. Together, they drove to Sunday River in western Maine, where the ride started. After a grueling 68 mile day of climbing in the western mountains, Amanda got to relax in her very own dorm room at UMaine Farmington!

 Getting ready to ride on the second day! Because she raised a grand, she got a 'winner's circle' cycling shirt AND a 100 dollar gift card to LL Crap!!

On Saturday, the ride took her from Farmington to Waterville, our very own backyard, where she rolled into Colby College. The Goldsmiths go to Colby on TrekSaturday every year to see Jon roll in. Jon just finished his sixth trek in a row. This year, it was a double bonus to get to see him AND mommy. Colby is crazy on this Saturday--team tents, big bbqs, rock and reggae bands, lots of beer (for the riders, of course), and lots of bike-hippies rolling around. It is like a bike-woodstock, even! The kids and I went over to Colby to visit, and we had some fun!

Here is the team tent for "Charlie's Big Wheels," the corporate team Amanda and Jon are/were on. The team takes very very good care of their riders, outfitting them in bibs, jerseys, etc....taking them out to lunch...providing a nice tent for Colby.....and lots more.

Awesome pic: Amanda got to see Dave at the third day rest stop in China, about 30 miles from the finish line! Dave was the 'mechanic on duty' for the rest stop, helping out biker's who were having problems with their...well....bikes (of course).

And here are brother and sister at a rest stop on the third day....they got to ride together quite a bit, which was nice for them to spend some brosis bonding time together. Maybe next year my sister and I can ride 180 miles!

We're so proud of you Mommy! We missed you and we are glad you are home.

ALSO: Today is my first day of summer vacation.

Graduation week 2012

The Winslow High School class of '12 graduated  last week, on a Wednesday, but the whole week leading up to the actual day is one big 'festival' in itself....there is Baccalaureate service on the Sunday before...then there is class night on that Monday, and there are tons of rehearsal events, etc, all culminating towards the big day on Wednesday night at Colby College.

Below is a photo from class night--many of these students I also taught as freshmen, and it is so amazing to see how they have grown! Syney, the girl directly in back/center will be attending THEEEE University of New Hampshire in the fall.

I know a lot of these pictures were on Facebook, but I am an optimist to think that some people still read this 'old fashioned' blog and dont get all their 'news' from Facebook (kind of like a real book vs Ebook demographic....). So that is why I am posting these here.....

At class night, there is a big banquet dinner, followed by the monetary and non monetary awards. Gifts are given out, slideshows are shown, and superlatives are awarded. The class asked me to 'award' the superlatives to students--everything from MOST LIKELY TO BE PRESIDENT to MOST GULLIBLE to MOST LIKELY TO OWN 20 CATS SOMEDAY....I had fun. In fact,  I, and fellow founding father Jezsin, were superlative award winners at OAHS back in 96....I was most dependable, and he was best sense of humor. Today, Jezsin is still one of the funniest people I know, and I can always' depend' on people to be upset/not speaking to me.....

For the eighth year in a row, I was asked to both write and perform a class song. This year, like last year, I made a "funny" song, at the request of the students. I called the song 'Hall Stories,' and it was geared around the premise that, although one learns a lot INSIDE the classroom walls, there are equally important things to be learned OUTSIDE (in the halls, for example). The song was a potpourri of inside jokes celebrating the nuances of the class of 2012 experience. From left to right on the stage at Colby college are principal, Vice Principal, Supt, Asst Supt., yours truly, Lori, and stayoffmywave Dave (Lori and Dave delivered the speech together....)

Getting ready to perform my song for the masses......

Okay I will say it: I really really miss this class already; life without them will be very difficult. In eleven years of teaching, this was, without doubt, the finest group of individuals I have taught.

112% of the rest of the schools in New England are out for the summer (probably as of yesterday). Winslow is famous throughout the USA for being one of the last schools to get out....our last day (teacher workshop) is Monday.

Ready for Summer

Most everyone knows that I HATE the summertime. Hate, hate, hate. Too hot. Too bright. Too much pressure. As I write this, on June whatever-it-is today, I am enlivened by the fact that in only a couple of weeks, the days begin to start getting shorter! YAY!!! Summer sucks.

BUTTTT....the Goldsmiths are going to rock this summer. We plan on doing a lot paddling on our Old Town Camper, and we plan on doing some good ATV riding--around our town of Fairfield (we have great trail connectors only a couple of miles away from the house) or up north a bit. We invested in the trailer to have some fun, ride way out in the woods away from people, and enjoy the forest.

Callum and I took a very short ride yesterday over on some trails across the street--there was some light mud and some cute hills, and he had a BLAST....even though I dont think we hit speeds of over 15 miles per hour. If my mom read this blog, she would freak out knowing that Callum was on the ATV. All in all we may have ridden just three miles, and already Callum is excited to go again.

Running and riding bicycles is hopefully on the docket for the summer--Amanda is gearing up for the Trek Across Maine which departs Sunday River this Friday, and the weekend after that I race in the Disgusta Rail Trail Half Marathon Meredith Palmer Annual Dunder Mifflin Rabies Awareness Race For the Cure. Pro Am.

Graduation was last week (I still havent posted about this!!) and today was the last day of regular classes for the underclassmen. Finals start tomorrow, and NEXT Monday is the last day I go to school before summer break. A very busy few weeks--the whole month of June is taken up with races, parties, events, etc.

Finally  two nice days in a row after virtually EIGHT full days of rain. Hopefully our garden can start to grow now.....

Roses, cakes, faces, pretzels

Maybe it is all the rain we have been having, or maybe it is just that our soil lends itself well to them--our Rugosa Roses (beach roses) are doing so well this year in terms of both size AND flowering. We seem to have tons of flowers this year. What we have been doing is picking up all the fallen petals and putting them into a basket that we then are using for a potpourri of sorts. They smell great!!

I havent written much about our garden yet, and maybe that is because it hasnt really DONE much yet! But we are doing the best we can with the crappy clay soil we have (dont forget: we live, essentially, a quarter mile from the biggest river in Maine!). We tilled it, added sand and manure, and planted lettuce, carrots, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, and squash. It is a small garden, but hopefully it will yield a lot! Amanda is doing some planting....

Amanda and the kids got me a wonderful cake for my birthday last week--a trail running cake from Shaws. Shaws USED TO have THEEE best cakes in terms of frosting and actual cake. But they must have outsourced their cakes to china or something, because they suck now. I will stick with Hillman's, thank you. But the design was great!

Maira just being really cute with the hat she hates to wear! Her language, we have noticed, is really taking off during the past couple of weeks. She is starting to string together short worded phrases, and her elocution seems to be getting better. Furthermore, she is suddenly REALLLLLY into books. GoodNight Moon, Biscuit, and GoodNight Maine are her three favorites by far!

And, finally, here is Callum the Pretzel Man! I dug deep into the vault of cookbookdom to find my 10th grade home ec notebook! This was a great class. Jason Ponticelli and I ruled this classroom, writing the research papers of the year on ROSEMARY. We had a great soft pretzel recipe, and Callum loves pretzels, and so does Maira, so I figured HEY, LET'S BAKE SOME. It went really well. Callum thinks his santa hat is a chef's hat. We baked them last Saturday morning while I LET AMANDA SLEEP LATE (i wrote that in caps so everyone could see that...). Callum really loved making letters and number out of  the dough, and even Maira loved rolling the dough around!

Sunday School Picnic....

The weekend of prom was a really busy weekend for me.....the morning after prom, our church held its annual End-Of-Sunday-School Picnic....we do this each year, and it is always a beautiful day for the kids and parish members. I am usually in charge of "cooking" the hot dogs we have, and we always use my charcoal grill...above, BuddyBrad and I stop amidst the stress of grilling hot dogs to smile for my lovely wife.....

We do it up nice at this thing--cotton candy machines, bouncy house, lots of food, races, obstacle courses, fishing pools, face painting, and keg stand contests. Below, Pastor challenged me through the obstacle course race, which consisted of a potato sack race, a balance beam portion, and a bean bag throwing accuracy contest.....as well as a 'slalom' like thing where we had to balance a golf ball on a spoon and run through gates....Pastor cheated....but I cheated harder....and won....haha

Miss Maira and Amanda were looking beautiful in their springy dresses.....this picnic was a couple of weeks ago now, and it seems, that since then, all it has done is rain, rain, rain. This seems to happen each year....the beginning of June is always a wash out. Sidenote: By some weatherman accounts, we received SIX INCHES of rain today!! We are completely flooded outside....

Here, Brad, Caden, Callum, and  I participate in Callum's favorite event: The water balloon toss!

And, finally, good friend and fellow running race partner Emily guides Maira and her daughter through the obstacle course ( I hope you enjoyed the grammatical ambiguity of that sentence!)

Big week coming up this week! Tonight I attended the WHS Baccalaureate service, tomorrow night is class night, and then Wed is graduation.....tis the season!