Quarry Road race series continues to be probably my favorite feature of the summer....here, Callum and Maira line up for the start of the fun run. I love Maira's little braid...she likes to have her hair braided before his races...she likes to bring her A-Game....

Here is Callum's finish...he worked really hard to catch the kid in the red shirt...he was really mashing and kicking hard....he caught up pretty close...but wasnt quite able to overtake the other kid. I love the way Callum races; he is very aggressive. Kid is out for blood. The exact opposite of me :/

Another Lake George trip this past week (I think we went Wednesday). We went to the other side (the side I dislike) with the beach, etc. It was incredibly windy...Maira is in back of Callum, heading out for a swim in her Ninja Turtle float....just such a beautiful lake! We swam, played tag, ate ham sandwiches, and read some "Narnia."

Was able to meet Wednesday with two all time classics: Conner and Sydney....two former students about to enter their senior years at Wheaton and UNH!! Cant believe it! We met at Mainely Brews and I got to hear about Conner's Scotland semester abroad and Sydney's cool job doing marketing for a skydiving company (PLUS doing some actual skydiving!). I think we will meet every Wednesday!

And Maira's greenbeans are ready to eat! She is out there picking every day. Come on by. We have plenty of lettuce too. I dont know about our tomatoes. God has made it very clear he does not want me growing tomatoes :/

Last week Callum decided he wanted to write a book (the book was to be called TIGERS VERSUS LIONS, and the project has since been abandoned, but that is beside the point...) and he thought it would be a good idea to write to a 'real live author' for some advice. So, he chose to write to Rob Scotton, who lives in England. Scotton is the author of the Splat The Cat books, and those books are some of Callum's (and Maira's) all time favorites. I actually had to do some research to find Rob Scotton's mailing address...we emailed back and forth a couple of times...it was pretty exciting! Anyway, here are the two sides of the letter Callum wrote. If you need help clarifying any of this stuff, let me know...haha...

I love how he signs "Love Callum" for both sides....

On days when Sally works, I have been bringing the kids to Lake George for afternoon swim trips and walks around the park (and fishing, soccer, and reading too). It really is one of our favorite places. I wish Amanda could come with us more. I love to go to the uncrowded (east) side. The other entrance (west) has the sandy beach and, thus, more crowds. As you can see below, we had the whole place to ourselves, and the water was magnificent!

Maira the Animal Whisperer: Maira told us recently that she wants to be a vet and help sick animals when she gets older. She definitely does have a verrrrry unique and close relationship with animals; it is so interesting to watch her. Aunt June and Uncle Bob were up from NJ and June brought her two dogs--Molly and Diesel--for the short car ride up...haha. Molly, in the back, is a black lab mix, and Diesel, lying down, is a one year old Newfoundland. Maira used to be terrified of Diesel cuz she thought he really was a bear. But now they are best of friends and they both followed each other around all day. Maira truly has a special way with animals...she walks around with them and talks to them constantly (far away from people...like out in the yard, fields, etc) and they seem to hang on her every word....

The very first class--the one that started it all--I taught at Winslow had their ten year reunion this past weekend. I was invited to attend the reunion and I went over to say hi. It was just so awesome to reconnect with some wonderful individuals (who are now almost 30 by the way!) and see what they are up to in their professional and family lives. Below is a picture of me with Stephanie. Stephanie was in my period 10 honors English class oh so long ago...haha...it was especially wonderful getting to reconnect with her. She was an amazing talent as a vocalist, instrumentalist, and actress at WHS, and she went on to graduate school at Yale for Operatic performance. Now she and her husband live and work in New York City. So awesome to catch up. Stephanie and I sang a song together during her class night over ten years ago...for all you musical fans out there it was the piece FOR GOOD from the musical WICKED. I still remember the eye contact I struggled with #......

We had not been to Seawall since last September, believe it or not; we had plans to go up for a couple of days during Christmas and February vacation, etc, but each time we did, we got snowed out. As a rule, we try to stay as far away from Mt Desert Island in the summer as possible, but we just couldnt wait any longer before getting back to Seawall....so we went, just for a night, to get away. This was last week, and I am sorry that I am just getting around to posting this stuff :/

It was verrrrry low tide when we got there, so we were able to go out rather far into where the ocean usually is. This enabled us to find some 'sand,' which is very unusual on MDI. The kids loved exploring and finding shells and rocks to add to their collection....

For dinner that night, we got some pizza and sandwiches at Gott's, this local gas station/store in Bass Harbor and took our meal to the National Park picnic area at Seawall (side tangent for a second: Do you think that in like fifty years people will reminisce about getting pizza and subs at gas stations the same way my parents reminisce about when you used to get milk shakes and malts at the pharmacy? I bet they will! I think these mom and pop convenience stores will soon become a thing of the past!)

A beautiful place for a picnic. And two beautiful girls to look at while eating! I wish I knew what islands we are looking at in the background...but I know it is over by Somes Sound...

Amanda and I are trying to get our pictures taken together more. So here is another one.

After dinner, Maira and Amanda drove back to the SeawallMotel, and CS and I walked back--but we took some detours around the picnic area AND we explored one of the loops of the Seawall Campground. Seawall campground is one of the two National Park campgrounds, and it is unique in that they do NOT take reservations...it is first come/first served. For my money, it is the best campground I have ever seen. Callum and I love walking around and seeing the different camp sites and how people set up their stuff. Also, on the way back, we saw FIVE deer (there is no hunting in the nat. park, so the deer are pretty fearless). We were able to get very close to them, which CS loved. He wanted his picture taken of him with this one (it looked closer when we were actually there...haha). This was in a meadow on the walk back. There is the ocean. Then the 'road' that passes thru the park. Then there is lush forest and meadow; it is such a breathtaking area!

That night, after the kids were in bed, Dave (the owner of the motel) and I played some cribbage. Then Amanda and Vicki (dave's wife) joined us for some four-way cribbage. A great evening.

The next morning, we explored the rocks some more, and then we set out on a fantastic hike of Flying Mountain in Southwest Harbor. I didnt bring my phone/camera on the hike (Amanda did) so I dont have pictures. Maybe Amanda can send me some. But it was a wonderful hike--about 1.8 mile loop--and it had a quick ascent to the summit where there were striking views of Somes Sound. Then, there was a longer descent through blueberry glens and pine forests that led us to a very secluded pebbly beach at the far end of the sound. I think it was called VALLEY COVE. Very secluded and rustic and resplendent with jellyfish EVERYWHERE. The kids meandered around in the water and then we finished up, walking the final half mile on a beautiful old fire road.

Always a great time in Seawall on MDI!

Summer keeps on rolling along...

I thought I would post a photo of our garden for this year--it is all in 'raised beds' and pallets. On the left, from front to back, we have carrots, beans, and cucumbers...on the right, we have two beds of lettuce and spring greens...and in the middle we have our tomatoes. Last year, our cucumbers were out of this world, but this year they seem to be doing the worst out of everything. Idk. We just cannot eat all this lettuce. So come get some! In the back, Amanda has some of her perennial beds with heliopsis (sp?), bachelor buttons, bee balm, and moonflower. Very nice. 

One of Callum's best buds from his kindergarten class, Tristan, has grandparents who live right down the street from us (everyone is related to someone in our neighborhood...haha). Tristan and his older brother Julian also play baseball. So, last week, Callum rode his bike down to the grandparent's house (the boys are there during the day while parents work) and hung out, played some Minecraft, watched some Batman, etc...then the boys came back here to do legos and watch more tv...as a sidenote, I should mention that little Maira was DEVASTATED that she could not go over to the grandparent's to play as well...I told her that these were Callum's friends and he deserves to have some 'just' boy time. But Maira did not take it well at all. Callum and Maira really ARE best friends, and they do everything together. It was definitely a 'coming of age' kind of moment for her, when she caught a glimpse of her brother 'growing up' before her eyes, ya know? It was tough for me to, to try to explain to her....she missed him and he was only gone for a couple of hours...

Anyone who knows us knows we love to read, and we love to read special books in the summer. The other night, we had a little camp fire and Amanda read some of the THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE to Callum while Maira ran around in circles like she often does lately. She develops these 'routes' that take her through our yard, Cindy's yard, and the Shore's yard. She repeats them a dozen times and then she sits down. Anyway, we hope to make it through the whole LION story this summer!!!

Callum bought some Lego "Chima" set the other day (the kid lives for legos) and he put it together outside while I sat and read. We like being outside in the shade whenever we can. Sally snapped this picture...

And, lastly, here is a moose that ran through our yard yesterday. We were not home at the time, but our neighbor Heidi snapped this photo of the moose after it ran through our yard, crossed Weeks St, and cut through MoeMoe's (moe moe is the dog who used to live in this tan house you see...Maira adored the dog and so we call it MoeMoe's house) yard en route to Heidi's yard. Very weird and very awesome!! I wish we could have seen this beauty in person, but I am glad we have the photo!

Last time I wrote about all the fun and festivities of the actual FOURTH of July...but the FIFTH of July was just as wonderful and special--we spent it out at Tom and Katie's camp on Big Indian Lake in St Albans. One of my favorite parts of the whole experience (and there are SO many things to love about going out to their camp) is the ride there! To get to St Albans, you head up 95 north for about 20 minutes or so before getting off in Pittsfield, which is a really cute old "Maine" town...from there, you just continue to pass through charming towns and villages and then beautiful country (and there are TONS of snowmobile and ATV trails up there). Callum told me that his 'favorite store' is Big Indian Market, this quaint little mom and pop convenience store that sells sandwiches, pizza, drinks, and everything else in between. He loves getting novelty ice cream bars, etc there...

Callum and Maira had a great time (as they always do) playing with Jake and Meg's old toys: Hello Kitty stuff, Playmobil pirate ship, etc. This time, they spent a while with Meg playing Dora the Explorer CandyLand AND this other game called MAKE IT OR BREAK IT, where you are given blocks (and patterns) and you are timed as you try to put the blocks in the correct architectural patterns. Callum always loves that game. Meg is such a great sport and such a wonderful friend who is just adored by Callum and Maira. 

Tom and I hanging out on the dock at the lake. You dont have to tell us how amazing we look in our straw hats, cuz we already know....hehe...

Maira and Meg going for their first kayak paddle of the day. Teddy, the family's Maltese, usually loves to join in on a kayak ride...in fact, in a few other pictures, he is right there up front. Take special note of Maira's 'snack cup.' She always has to have a snack (crackers, goldfish, raisins, etc). Callum was always like this as a kid too...

My grandfather was a legendary fisherman. My dad is. The gene skipped over me (I love it...I just suck at it). And now it is back, alive and strong, with Callum. Jake spent a great deal of time with Callum, showing him how to rig his line, etc etc. Callum was all ears, hanging on every word his good buddy Jake taught him. Jake, like Meg, is such a great role model for our kids. Callum was using a rubber worm lure, and stood and cast for close to an hour. He didnt catch a thing, but, most importantly, he did not give up. He changed his position on the dock, he checked his lure, he always was careful about where he cast, and he just did an all around great job. He also taught Maira how to cast, and I got a cute video of that.

Dinner was fantastic (I always have to mention food, right?) and consisted of some of the most amazing chuck steak I have ever eaten (Tom and his friend split half a cow or something like that...and this was prime steer meat from a local cow or something). We made a salad from the lettuce, oregano, and lemon balm from our garden. Amanda baked a scrumptious blueberry pie. And Meg, a fine baker in her own right, made a delicious red white and blue fourth of July cake! A great day!

Fourth of July weekend was one of the busiest, chock full of fun weekends we have had in a while...today is Tuesday and I think the Goldsmiths are still exhausted from all the festivities. First of all, the 'events' started last Friday, when Amanda and the kids joined Alicia and her twins at Birch Point State Park beach. All these pics are on Sally's phone...so maybe she can send them to me and I can post them on here. Then, on Saturday, we had Lynne, George, and BaBa over in the morning-ish for a "German" themed BBQ lunch--we had hot German potato salad, knackwurst, bratwurst, and other types of sausages and hot dogs....

Then, at 4, we headed over to our friends Heather and Derek's house for their 4th of July bash. Also in attendance were Andy/Beth, Alicia/John, Lisa/Pete, and all the appertaining children! A fantastic time that went, for us, until about 930 that night.

I posted this pic because Maira was Andy's 'fireworks buddy' all night. Andy brought some Roman candles, firecrackers, etc, and Maira (normally so quiet and shy) kept following Andy around, asking him to light off more fireworks. Any time he lit stuff off, as seen below, she was right there to 'help' him...

Meanwhile, Callum had a blast with Pete, as Pete, being the wonderful school administrator as he is, educated Callum on how to properly make 'fart noises' with different parts of one's body (arm pit, forearm, et al). This picture truly captures the moment, and I love it. I also love how, over on the right, John Wilcox looks disgusted...haha...

Callum putting into practice what he has learned. He has now reached 'proficiency' in this 'indicator.' A super time!!

The kids swam, the dads played the most frustrating game of lawn darts of all time, we ate delicious pulled pork and salad and buffalo chicken dip (and more!) and we sat around a camp fire and all laughed and laughed. Oh,, and Callum got to try his hand at driving around Luke's battery powered mini-bike motorcycle thing....

As dusk began to fall, Andy started lighting off more fireworks and Amanda and I had this photo taken of us...it is very rare that we get our picture taken. Oh...sidenote...check out the shirt that was my father's day gift: The best shirt ever! Jane Marple, Sherlock Holmes, and Hercule Poirot...three of the greatest brains in mystery and detective fiction. Legends! All on one shirt!! #winning

And a rare picture of all the guys at the party: l to r we have Derek, Andy, Pete, Jared, and John (and a bunch of tweens behind us trying to photobomb)

more to come tomorrow about a great and very full holiday weekend...

Another busy week of summer vacation comes to a close for the Goldsmiths

Some of the hi-lights include Callum's baseball games which were on Tuesday and Wednesday. As a spur of the moment decision, Callum decided he wanted to play in this summer "farm league" kind of thing that the town of Fairfield puts on--his friends Jack and Tristan are playing, so Callum was 'inspired.' It is a pretty neat program: This retired Lawrence football/baseball coach and PE teacher runs the program. All for fun and instruction. No practices. Just 'games' on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 930...we dont keep score, etc. We kind of instruct kids as they field and bat and stuff like that. I say 'we' because I am assisting him in coaching the kids on Callum's team, which is BOB'S COUNTRY MARKET. At the end of the season, I will use white medical tape to make the shirt say UPBOB'S market....

Here is Callum on second base....kid LOVES to run, and he is damn fast. 

doing some batting practice....right now, hitting is not Callum's 'strong suit.' Usually, all we play is wiffle ball, and he kills the ball then...but I think that using the heavier bat has him stymied a little bit. He needs Zin to come up and coach him again. Like last time.

I dont mean to make this all about Callum, but he had a cool week. On Tuesday night, he ran his first 'grown up' race for the Quarry Road race series...he ran the 3K with me. He did awesome! He ran the whole thing (didnt walk once) and encountered some pretty hilly terrain on a tough course! He decided to forgo the FUN RUN that he usually does to try a 'real' race. His official time (as listed on the web site) was 19:02. He can do better...haha

Here we are pre-race together!

I'll try to make the next post more about Maira. But she and Callum are wicked excited about their new pet snails! I was teaching them about some of the herbs that we have in our back beds (lemon balm and oregano, in particular) and there were snails climbing up the wet stalks. The kids wasted no time at all getting a little box, some dirt, some 'food,' and more and making a nice hospitable environment for their three shelled friends. This was three days ago and they are still alive (the snails, not the kids...but the kids are alive too) and well....