Second day all by myself.....

Jeesh. I dont think I really like this at all....

Yes, it is nice to have the place to myself...I get to o what I want, when I want....

but it is way too quiet here and I miss Callum and Maira asking me 43,761 questions per hour, and I miss Amanda wanting to have serious conversations about our life at 1130 at night when I am trying to go to bed...haha

The other day, before Amanda and the kids left, Callum wanted to have some lobster. So CS and I went over to B&F to get some (3.99 per pound...not bad). They were, as the original papa GOldsmith would say, FAIR. They werent all that great...they werent quite soft shell OR hard shell...they were somewhere in between...and the meat wasnt as sweet as other lobsters I have had #firstworldproblems...

VERY excited to buy the lobsters, cook them, hold them, put them into the water, put them on a plate, take their elastics off, and sit down to eat....

....and ended up eating ZERO percent of any lobster, saying "um....I think I only eat lobster with Papa." Fair enough. More for us. Maira, on the other hand, put on a CLINIC with her corn, and wouldnt bring herself within six feet of any lobster. Too scary, she said....

I have been keeping busy...stacking firewood, ordering another cord of firewood, and puttering in our weeden (some call them their 'garden'). Today I had the fall coaches meeting with our new athletic director, and I met our new principal. I have been reading, catching up on X-Files (one of the best shows EVER), making pickles with all our cucumbers, and playing cribbage with Karl. Yesterday, former students Conner, Sydney and I paddled a great little section of the Kennebec, right here in Fairfield, putting in under the Shawmut dam, and paddling down to the downtown Fairfield boat launch

Here is a view of the Shawmut Dam on teh Kennebec....it is hard to see, but if you blow it up you can see, across the river, the Flood dairy farm...a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE Maine milk dairy farm. The trout fishing at the base of the dam (mostly on the other side where there are huge rock ledges to stand on) is legendary. The water is fast and fun when you first put in....

I thought this was cool--one of the regular freight trains that passes through Fairfield each day, as seen from the water on our way approaching 'downtown.' Notice all the little rocky 'islands' in the river....these were used by river drivers during the log drives when they used to float logs down the river from up in Moosehead lake, etc...

What a great paddle, literally only 1.5 miles away from our house....

And, finally, here are Emma and Maira eating dinner yesterday.....what a ham is that Maira!

Beginning of August Check-In

*The other day I went to the hospital to give blood....on the front registration desk there was a big bowl of lemons with a sign that said PLEASE TAKE ON
*The other night I ran perhaps the TOUGHEST running race I have ever run....an 8K (5 miles) at the Quarry Road Trails....it was hot and humid and dirt and rock and hills....CRAZY hills...with switchbacks on them eve....the Quarry Road Summer Race Series has been AMAZING,, and tonight is the final one. I hope to get there

* Callum, yesterday, went to the library and CLEANED UP, earning every possible prize for reading all his summer reading books. Thus far the kid has gotten gift cards for: Free french fries at Bee's Diner, Free sub at Subway, Free ice cream at Giffords, and Free mini golf at Benton Family Fun Park. Also, he got to pick out a free book to keep AND he is entered in a raffle to win a huge gift certificate to the Children's Book Cellar (the awesomest children's  book store) in Waterville

* Tomorrow the kids and Amanda (along with Lin, Gorge, and BaBaBooey Ensign) are going to NJ for the week--I am staying in Maine because I have XC preseason and such and such. I will REALLY miss them. And I will miss seeing everyone in NJ. Kind of. Just kidding. Kind of. lol.

*Maira's favorite author of the summer has to be Kevin Henkes, the writer of all the "Penny" books (Penny is a cute little mouse who has many adventures). Henkes has written about several other little mice people named Owen and Lily too, for example. She loves them all. Other favorites she can seem to put down are THE JELLYBEANS (this little group of animal friends who call their club the jellybeans) and Olivia books

*Callum is definitely in his summer-of-Willems; THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA, LET'S GO FOR A DRIVE, and THE DUCKLING WANTS A COOKIE remain books that crack him up....he has a great laugh

*This past week was Vacation Bible School at church (as opposed to the one they have at The Bob In). For the fourth year in a row, Sally and I were the music leaders/MCs...and, since only 1.6 people volunteered at our church this year to do anything, Sally was a teacher as well. She did a great job with Mia, Malyn, and Emmy. The them was all about mountains, and the small core group had a fantastic time. As I write this, Callum and Maira are listening to the VBS music CD, developing some choreography for some of the songs (I put together some dance moves...kind of...for the kids at the camp...and now my kids are following suit)

*Most popular hit songs of the summer (did you ever notice how you always associate certain songs with summer more than any other season??) are Life is a Highway by Rascall Crapps (CARS soundtrack), Carry Me Ohio by Sun Kill Moon, Everything at Once by Lenka, Appalachian Spring by Copeland, and, far and away the NUMBER ONE song of the summer, thanks to Dave Houston, is Miss me when I'm gone/Cups by Anna Hendrick. I will attach a link to the youtube video....if you havent seen it, you should definitely watch it. One of the coolest videos I have seen...and not just because of the cool cup tricks. Neat cinematography too....all pretty much one 'shot' from a waitress's perspective....not a lot of cutting and editing, etc. Also, you should watch it cuz Callum can do the whole 'cup' percussion thing that the girl does. For realz.

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmSbXsFE3l8

Indian Pond

The Goldsmiths went out to spend some time with Tom, Katie, Jake, and Megan at their camp on Indian Pond in St Albans. A fantastic spot for kids! Nice shallow lake. Awesome kayaks, paddleboats, boards, etc. Cool firepit, lawn, fox holes (where REAL foxes live) and more. AND, of course, Callum and Maira were absolutely enamored with Jake and Meg's Playmobil pirate ship and Dora Dollhouse, respectively.

The best part, as corny as it sounds, was just seeing Callum and Maira play so well with Jake and Meg. Even though Jake and Meg are a little older than Callum and Maira, the four of them played so marvelously. It was just great to watch. And Amanda and I got to spend some great time visiting with Kate and Tom (and Teddy too)

We spent the afternoon paddleboating, paddleBOARDING, playing Magic the Gathering (Amanda and Jake), talking about books (Jake and I), and sampling fantastic beers (Tom and I). Also, I peer pressured Katie into running a 5K...haha

Callum and Jake spent a good part of the afternoon on the paddleboat. With Teddy, too, who loves boats. Can you see him in the middle. Callum, usually apprehensive about trying ANYTHING new, jumped right in with Jake and never looked back. Literally.....

Meg thinks about getting ready to paddleboard, and Callum and Jake continue paddling. As a sidenote, Indian Pond *used to be* a river...and then, a long long time ago during the great log driving days of Maine's lumbering industry, they dammed a big part of the river so more logs could be 'driven' (or floated) down to mills, etc. Indian Pond is the result of this damming. Thus, on the bottom of the lake, there are SO many old, waterlogged trees, etc. Very cool!

Katie and her "littlest girlfriend" Maira hang out. Katie used to watch Maira when Maira was a little little baby...and she gave her the nickname then. Maira, ever the diva, didnt want to swim or kayak. She wanted to eat chips and play with the Dora Dollhouse....

....still pedaling....

a shot of the camp...a really great place. Inside has a ton of charm as well, and contains my favorite part of the whole place--an old Atlantic wood-cookstove!

I love the way lakes appear as evening approaches; you can almost feel the stillness as you look at this photo. The water is glass. Everything is calm. You can see and hear fish jumping a hundred yards away as the sun goes down. A beautiful evening.....

And a group shot!!

For Sale: Training Wheels!!!

Okay. So I definitely cried for 4 or 5 seconds.......

We are so proud of Callum

Another huge milestone shared symbiotically by parent and child alike....

As a teacher now entering my 13th year of education, I can honestly say this was the easiest thing I have ever taught another 'student.' I took the training wheels off, told him to keep pedaling, gave him a quick push, and, roughly 6 seconds later, he was off.....

Today, I am off to Mathieu's to 'surprise' him by having a kickstand put on his bike. He is IN LOVE with the thought of having a kickstand on his bike!

Radio Romance Tour 2013

Almost six years ago, Garrison Keillor and his Prairie Home Companion compatriots came to the Bangor Auditorium to perform a live broadcast of the amazing Saturday evening program--Amanda (8.5 months pregnant with Callum) and I, of course, were there. Garrison Keillor is my favorite writer of all time, I think it is safe to say #strongstatements, and A Prairie Home Companion, as a program, ranks right up there with The Nutcracker and Pu Pu platters as one of my favorite things in the world.

Last night, we had tickets to see Garrison and company's "Radio Romance" tour of the summer--it wasnt the 'live' program, but, rather, just a summer long string of tour dates for a sort of 'concert.' We had severe complications with the babysitting situation (the show didnt start til 730...and it was an hour away in Bangor) and it looked like we were going to have to eat the money we spent on the tickets. Then, at the '11th hour' as they say, Amanda said to me "hey, why dont we just bring the kids?" And so we did. And it was one of the most delightful nights we have had in a long time.

Above, the kids get ready for the trip to the Bangor Waterfront Pavilion, where the show was. Please dont ask me why Callum Stuze was absolutely HELLBENT on adorning himself with pirate regalia (jacket, mask, hat, hook hand, etc). Just chalk it up to the fact that he is a five year old boy. Hey, havent you ever seen a five year old dressed as a pirate at a National Public Radio syndicated live performance? Yeah. See?

The concert venue was disgusting. It smelled like a rest area bathroom in August. The outdoor seats (I feel badly for the people with 'lawn' seats) were on this clay/crushed stone stuff. Gross. Muddy. Smelled like cesspool. But whatever. We got to see Garrison, Fred Newman, the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, and more!!

 Here's the set: The show definitely is not for everyone--as with most things Amanda and I love, most other people our age dislike vehemently...haha. It is definitely strange to see a 'radio show' performed live in person. Very cool. Garrison's special guest joining him on tour is a young lady named Sarah Watkins, one of the three members of the famous Bluegrass band 'Nickle Creek.' Sara is a phenom fiddle player, and Callum and Maira were clapping along, drumming, and dancing in their seats....

Below, you can see a tiny speck of white--that is Garrison Keillor, resplendent in his white seersucker suit, BRIGHT red tie, and trademark bright red Chuck Taylors. One thing GK does very well is create ethos which each audience, depending on which city he is in--he told a lot of cool Maine facts that I didnt know, he wrote and performed two songs about Maine, and he wrote a beautiful poem about the state. He also performed one of his famous skits "The Lives of the Cowboys," as well as his trademark "News from Lake Wobegone," where, in last night's monologue, he CONTINUED to make the audience's emotions virtual putty in his hand, somehow weaving a description about a summer baseball league featuring Siamese Twin catchers, a Border Collie with a high slugging percentage, that same dog who peed on his rival's leg when both teams were shaking hands at the end of the game, and finishing it up (like I said, somehow) bringing the audience almost to tears with a gorgeous and heartfelt story about two newlyweds who were so in love that they forgot the vows they had written for each other and had to fall back on the 'traditional' ones. Sounds crazy. And it was. But it was utterly beautiful.

And Callum has decided on a new vocation: Replacing sound effect man Fred Newman after Newman retires. Newman, below, in the vest, is an amazing talent, creating all types of sound effects to complement Garrison's stories. When you listen to him on the radio, you dont get to see his dynamic body language and 'spunk' that he puts into all his 'radio acting.' Callum (and Maira too...but she was kind of tired) was virtually rolling in his seat with laughter as Newman made impressions of trains, whales, dolphins, Sea Lions performing Led Zepplin songs, seals covering Beatles songs, and, perhaps Callum's favorite, Ira Glass from NPR's "This American Life." Callum, since the show, has kept saying "I really really need to practice my sound effects later, okay daddy?" He also said he is a huge fan of PHC now! WOO HOO

A fantastic family evening. Blessed to have kids who can appreciate the arts like this. We left at about 920 or so...the show ended a little after ten. I splurged on a PHC hat...Amanda got a Radio Romance tour t-shirt....and Callum and Maira bought, perhaps, one of the only A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION frisbees in the entire Milky Way Galaxy.....

Franklin #4

Shut up. We were there for seven days and did a lot of stuff.

Here are Amanda and I, sneaking out for a half hour for a paddle-date. It was nice to get a few minutes just with Amanda. We explored the big island on the south side of the lake. I would like to own an island. Or at least a half an acre of land anywhere for that matter....


Here is the camp where we stayed....it is kind of obscured by trees and growth, but that was the way of old classic Maine camps. This way you get a nice breeze from the trees, and lots of shade from the leaves. You can always tell the new camps by the way they need to be all ostentatious and cut down every living thing so all the world can see their house and where they park their Lexus.....

A very nice dock and a path leading up to that meadow and blueberry field and then the cabin itself. On the left side, there is a nice outdoor porch. We didnt use that much or at all. In all honesty, if we werent down at the water we were inside....I have never been in a single place where there were more mosquitoes. Ever.

Bring it.

"Pirate Island" is what Callum and I called this large, obtrusive ROCK island jutting out  of the water smack dab in the middle of the lake. From end to end, the rock was about 15 yards, and only held about five people or so at a time. The locals had fashioned a really nice pole, flying the American flag...the pole itself must have been about 30 feet high to be seen all over the lake. At the end of the 'island' was a bolted-to-the-rock diving board. There were also some ropes bolted into the rock so folks could moor their boats (our canoe got the CRAP kicked out of it as I tied it up on the other side of the rock...the only place there was room...and the wind beat it against the rock constantly) and climb out of the water BACK onto the rock after jumping. Callum didnt jump (neither did I...I was too scared) but he loved being a pirate and climbing out of the water.....over and over again....

....here is a good shot of that diving board and Sally climbing out of the water after one of her jumps...

......and I'm out.....

Franklin #3

I love the smiles our kids have....they are very genuine and they make me happy......

Below is a little 'island' we'd paddle out to...we'd land the canoe on the other side, along some pebbles, and go climbing some of these huge rocks. Also, wherever there weren't rocks, there were wild blueberry bushes. Callum liked to pretend he was a pirate and he had buried treasure on this 'remote' outpost....

Hot Hot Hot each and every single day....the heat really has a way of draining everyone. Below, the kids take some time to relax in the cabin: Callum was playing 'sugarbugs' on his LeapPad, and Maira was reading one of the two books she was OBSESSED with all week (this one is OLIVIA MEETS THE PRINCESS and the other one was PENNY'S NEW DOLL).

 One morning, I found this cute little Eskimo boy asleep in one of the rooms, so I decided to lie down next to him.... I slept and slept and slept.....

Also, this Eskimo Boy never got out of bed before TEN each day we were there ....#hardknocklife

I wanted to paddle all the time--by myself, with Amanda and the kids, with the kids and no Amanda--so I took full advantage. No one else wanted to paddle with me, which was fine....lol...but it was great getting out on the water all the time.....

#Screens......