Lake George

I dont know about the rest of the country--but here in Maine its been chilly and autumn-like for the past few days. The wood stove has been in use since last night, and all is well. Actually, it wasnt well for a few hours; we had these idiots come to clean the chimney yesterday, and they were awful....our whole basement (den and cellar) became covered with black, sooty dust because they didnt vacuum out the chimney cleanout properly. Also, they had to move the stove off the hearth (for some reason I am still trying to figure out) in order to clean the stovepipe. Obviously, they didnt put it back, so here I am, shimmying a 600 pound stove across the slate hearth. Needless to say they will not be coming back.

Also, Callum had his 4 month appointment yesterday. He is doing very well, and he was a big boy when it came to getting his shots (he got 5). I had to hold down his little pork chop legs again, since this kid LOVES to kick everything in sight when he becomes nervous/excited/happy/etc. He is 25 inches long (75th percentile) and 14 pounds, 15 ounces (50th percentile). The weight really shocked me (thats what she said!) because I was sure he was AT LEAST a cool 16 pounds. Oh well. He does have some eczema (sp?) on his back and chest, and this is probably due to the baths we give him, combined with the drier weather; and I think he has inherited his mother's VERY fair Irish/Scottish/Welch/British skin.

Today was a beautiful day, and I worked outside for a good part of the day, mowing the lawn for (hopefully) the last time, spreading some compost, bagging some brush, and doing some firewood. This afternoon, we took Callum on his first canoe trip! We have been excited to bring him, ever since he was born. Today seemed like a great time. His papa Goldsmith bought him TWO lifejackets, and his car seat fit perfectly in between the yoke and the other wooden cross beam. He really loves the outdoors--the wind, the trees, neighborhood cats and squirrels, etc. I think the excitement was too much for him, because he was lulled to sleep.....
I took up the stern of our ship, and Amanda, who paddled bow, was also the picture taker. Callum sat back with me so we could talk about "guy stuff."
Lake George is a beautifully clean lake in Canaan (about 20 minutes away from us). We posted a blog about Lake George park towards the end of the summer--we just love it there. The foliage dotting the rolling hills around the lake was beautiful (although past "peak,") and it was indeed brisk out on the water. Callum was as snug as a bug in one of his Halloween outfits, hat, and Osh Kosh "hoodie."
Amanda needed to feed Callum as soon as we got back to shore, so I took advantage of some solitary paddling around the lake's coast while Callum ate. I also worked on carrying the canoe, and putting the canoe on the roof rack, and then taking it off again--this way, I'll be able to do some "alone" paddling, or, take Callum when he's a toddler (but still unable to help me load the boat on top of the car!)