Still about a week behind....we lead such exciting lives that it is hard to keep up....

Last weekend Tom had a bunch of the guys from church out for a men's retreat sort of thing...we got there at about 6 on Friday and just stayed the night and we made our way home early Saturday afternoon. We had lots of great snacks and drinks, fun time to explore the camp (which I both know and love immensely) and educational reflections on some cool Bible study materials. The guys there were all top notch, and we all shared such great stories. Tom's camp, you may remember from me mentioning it several times before, is on Big Indian Pond in St Albans (about 40 minutes away from home...)

A beautiful and tranquil early fall evening on the dock....

Our friend Toby, a dentist who moved up from Georgia (and actually practiced for a bit in Rochester NH...our old home!) brought some wonderful cigars to enjoy. Dan (the man in the center of the pic, wearing the Ireland rugby shirt) is, in fact Irish (go figure) and was a Navy pilot during the Vietnam war. Very interesting stories he told about landing/taking off from carriers, flying missions, etc. He flew some anti-submarine planes. And he taught at the academy for a while. Now, a retired Navy commander, he teaches down at USM (I think chemistry or something...or maybe physics....either way, a very smart man!)

Buddy Tom and I enjoying the great evening around the fire with fantastic cigars and legendary beer samples (lots of guys brought some homebrewed stuff....all fantastic and creative and flavorful!!)

Now, you'll have a hard time believing this, but I think I was the first one to turn in!!! Can you believe it? But seriously though...haha...it was going on 1AM and I taught all day. I was beat. I cant keep up with these guys! haha...

"The Survivor's Breakfast." I took this partly because I love Tom and Katie's wood kitchen stove--one of those Atlantic stoves!! Tom and I cooked breakfast for folks--Tom did the eggs and I cooked up some moose sausage that he brought! One of his colleagues got a moose and had some of it ground into sausage and it was just wonderful--moose is VERY lean, but yet not dry. A very good meat.

Saturday just happened to be our eleven year anniversary!!! More on this later, but, early that afternoon before we celebrated, we took the kids out to enjoy the (unusually hot...about 87!!) day on the canoe...we checked out some early foliage on the Messo. Stream....Maira is quite the little looker, huh?