Windjammer Days

Hello -- Amanda here.

Last Saturday we went with my parents, Jonathan and Mel to Camden for the day. We had a good trip there - meeting at the Hannaford parking lot in Augusta, stopping at Dunkin' Donuts for a coffee and donut, and then making a few other 'pit stops' along the way... We finally got to Camden just to find out that it was 'Windjammer Weekend' which basically means that you can't find a parking spot. The wharf was crowded with huge, beautiful boats, lots of people, and vendors that were selling everything from nautical flags to seaglass jewelry.

Jared got to show me the windjammer that he sailed on with the "12 female Swiss exchange students" that I've heard about SO many times before... The ship is called the Mercantile and it is just really cool. We're thinking of making a 5-day sail our 5th anniversary gift to each other, but we'll see.... I've seen pictures of Jared on that boat so it was neat to see it in person.

We had lunch at a REALLY great restaurant right on the water. It is called 'The Water Front' (imagine that...) and we all would recommend it. The food was great and our waiter was really friendly. I don't even need to mention the scenery...

After lunch we hit the shops. I found a $5.00 pair of capri pants, Mom and Dad found some artwork for their living room walls, I'm not really sure what Mel and Jonathan bought, and we all bought fudge and ice cream. Jared's whole mission that day was to get some red pepper jelly at Stonewall Kitchen, but after seeing that it was $7.50 he decided that it wasn't worth it. What a letdown; I had been hearing about that jelly all week...

Clinton Lion's Fair

I had a pretty rough day today, so Amanda took me to the Clinton Fair this evening. Its only about ten minutes from our house, and it was a great few hours to spend this evening. For us, the food is the main event anytime we go to any fair--we had sausage, corndogs, doughboys (which is "mainespeak" for fried dough), and caramel apples. The whole concept of a corndog is ingenious: its a salty, fatty food, deep fried in the middle of sweet corn bread . . .and its on a stick! So you can be fat AND lazy. My philosophy is that if its on a stick, it can't be bad. Try and think of a food on a stick that isnt wonderful--terryaki, popsicles, corn dogs, and muppet. Delicious.

We strolled around and people-watched (Clinton is pretty "rural" to put it lightly). We checked out some cute little barnyard friends, like the Alpaca and goat you see pictured. The little baby goat you see saddened us--it was in a pen with six other grown up goats, and every time it went to go eat at the hay pile, the bigger goats would "ram" him out of the way. They knocked him onto his side, and he looked defeated. He was a runty little thing, so I hope he got some yum-yums in his little goat belly.

There was a "guesser" there, and he had a job I'd love to have. Basically, you gave him 3 bucks, and he randomly picked a question off the wall like "How many children do you have?" and "What time did you get up this morning?" and "What year is your automobile." There were also ones about your weight and age. I would imagine this man has lots of fun at work. But, I bet its tough too--14 year old girls from Clinton might have 3 or 4 children by that point in their lives, and the questions about what time you got up might prove difficult, because a lot of people in Clinton cannot tell time yet. More appropriate questions might be "how many original teeth do you still have" or "how many of your sisters have you married."

Our favorite part, after the food, had to be the tractor pulls. After trains, tractors are our favorite things in the "machine" category of things in this world. You see these old men (and women too!) riding these beautiful rust encrusted machines that have probably seen generations worth of work out in real farms. They aren't "hybrids," and they use a TON of gas . . .and they are beautiful. They make roaringly loud noises as they struggle to pull tons of weight (literally) down a 300 foot track. It is a very "Maine" thing to watch. You hear the announcer say things like "Let's see if Ephram can give 'er the whatfor to put 'er through the backyard" which, loosely translated, means let's see if Effie can shift her right so she can clear the track.

Or something like that . . .

A Life In Pictures

Wakes and funerals, in addition to being sad, despondent occasions, are also both physically and mentally exhausting. The wake itself, held on Wednesday night, went from 4-8pm. Then, we were back at the funeral home by about 8am this morning to meet, see Nana one last time, and then head to the church for the funeral. The only silver lining of these difficult events is undoubtedly the way in which families can catch up, reconnect, and re-bond over memories. Think about it: the only two times extended families see each other (unfortunately) are for weddings and funerals. Weddings are happy occasions, but there is so much going on—dancing, pictures, drinking, and eating. It all goes by so fast. But during wakes, you have a 4 hour window of time where there is no food, no music, and nothing going on—and this, in several ways, can be wonderful. We are able to all slow down and talk . . .

I was able to really spend some quality time catching up with my cousins—particularly Lauren, Brian, and Allison, whose name I am sure I am spelling wrong (its probably with a Y, and I am in trouble). Kristin and I used to spend lots of time down at their house in the summer—they lived in Plymouth, right by the water, the Plymouth Rock, and the Mayflower—both of which are not as great as you may think. We’d ride bikes, skateboard, go to the mall, and make fun of some kid they called “lumpy.” Living in Maine, I don’t get to see them much anymore, and it was great to reconnect with them.

Their mother, my Aunt Patty, put together this sort of “life in pictures” CD for Nana, and it played constantly throughout the night. The CD has 500 pictures on it, and viewing it is amazing! In addition to pictures of Nana, there are pictures of my mom in high school and elementary school, pictures of all us cousins together, and, perhaps most interesting to me, pictures of my grandfather; he was a man I never knew, since he died when my mom was about 6 months old. Truthfully, I’ve never really even seen pictures of him that much. Do I look like him? He is the first picture. On the second picture, look for the cute little stud in the green Izod shirt. He’s sitting on Nana’s lap. Next is one of Kristie’s dance recitals and this picture was taken at our old house in Easton, Mass. Look how hot my cousin Lauren is!!! There is one of many news articles published about my grandmother over the years. Finally, there is the end. A picture taken on what I believe was her final birthday this past December.

She lived, truly, a rich, full life.

Late Summer Planting

A busy day today. I was at school until well after 5 today, just trying to get my sub plans ready for the rest of the week, as I will be out of school, travelling down to Mass with Amanda for Nana's funeral. When I did get home, I went for a nice long hour-and-a-half bike ride, caught up with Paul--who is back from camp--and ate dinner. Since dinner, I have been working on Nana's eulogy, as the family asked me to deliver it at the funeral service Thursday. I just finished writing it, and now am getting ready for bed.

Pictured above are the two new trees we planted in our yard. Out front in a Sugar Maple, and out back is an Ornamental Pear. Both of these trees will provide great shade and beautiful fall foliage. The pear tree bears little baby pears, which are inedible to humans, but are enjoyed by birds and Rod Record. It is nice to have some trees now. We got some great compost (Penobscot Blend--its called) consisting of decomposed blueberries, salmon, and mussels

The other picture is of Amanda's Heliopsis (yellow) and Echinacea (purple) which are two flowers in the front beds which had great seasons. The Echinacea is just winding down, as you can see. But the Heliopsis is beautiful--twice as tall and twice as plentiful as last year. Last season we had flowers almost into December!!! As I remember, I painted the garage doors on December 4th, since it was in the high 50s. Weird weather.

Amanda does a great job with her flowers and her gardens.

Talk to you all later

Meanderings 10-Three Taboo Thoughts

You KNOW you've all thought about this at some point in your lives . . . .

1. Human beings are seemingly the only animals who have to wipe themselves after they go "number 2." Dogs, cats, and other animals, seem to go very . . .um . . . cleanly, without any leftover "residue." But humans need toilet paper. Perhaps this is a small trade off for the fact that we we run the world instead of cats. Call it a tie, I guess.

2. Two great inventions would be both flatulence filters AND mufflers. The muffler version of this might manifest itself in a special sort of undergarment that would muffle out any vibration or reverberation of any type of gas passing out of the buttocks region. The filter version of this, obviously, might be some sort of malleable carbon filter, that moved with you as you walked and sat, that would be crush any scent given off my said flatulence. We definitely have the technology to do this, so why dont we? We have diamond studded bras and thongs, but no filtered underwear so people can fart in peace, without fear of repercussions. The world would be a better and healthier place, because, let's face it--it feels so good to let one rip

3. The dumbest taboo has to be the whole deal with picking your nose. Who cares? If you have dirt on your face, you wash it off, right? If you have crust in the corners of your eyes, you scratch it out, dont you? They even give toothpicks out in restaurants so people can sit and clean their teeth--and this is acceptable. So why is it so "rude" to take dried up "dirt" out of your nose? Its just dirt . . .with maybe a little mucous. People sneeze, cough, and sniffle all the time--whats the big deal. Just like with the farting thing--the world would be both healthier and happier because more people would breathe so much better

The Chip Bowl

Every Christmas, we'd gather around it and eat greasy Lay's potato chips and homemade french onion dip. Actually, she'd make it with Lipton french onion soup mix, and she'd blend it with sour cream--I was a bit disillusioned after finding out how "easy" it was to make. When I was smaller, I thought the chip bowl was actually some sort of punch bowl, since the red on the bottom looked like Kool-Aid or something. When I found out it was just some sort of finish on the bowl itself, I thought it was the neatest thing. The chip bowl would sit on the table in the kitchen, away from the crowds of the rest of the family, who were mostly gathered in Nana's cramped living room, laughing at the antics of little kids, gossiping, and noshing on finger sandwiches.

My cousins, my sister, and I would stand around the chip bowl and go to town on it. We'd all make fun of it and say it looked like something from "The Wonder Years." Because I have always been (and will always be) a world-class comedian, I'd throw in "do you mean the 'Under Wears?'" This caused no one to laugh. There was always a fresh bag of Lay's to pour into the vintage 60's snack-piece. We'd talk about what we were getting for Christmas that year. My cousin Leah would always ask me if I had a girlfriend yet, and I always had to say no (I'm a good storyteller, but not THAT good). My hands would get greasy, and I'd most likely wipe them on my pants, in a moment of nervousness.

Some people want rings, necklaces, and watches from loved ones who have passed on. Some want broaches, couches, and recliners. I wanted this chip bowl--its something I have always loved for some odd reason. Its strange looking. Its from another era. It has a detachable mini-bowl for spreads and salsas. It reminds me of my grandmother. And french onion dip on Christmas.

I found myself in a state of panic a couple of days ago. When the call came that Nana was dying, I for some reason thought of the chip bowl and how, soon enough, thats all I would have of her. Where the heck was it? I remembered vividly that my mom DID pack it in a box for me; we were down in Connecticut at Kristin's, and it was put in a box with some sheets, and a lamp my mom was giving us from her den. But I, for the life of me, could not remember where I put the darn thing. I am SO ORGANIZED. It drives everyone, including me, crazy. I have a system of where we put things, and all extra, "indoor entertaining" (outdoor entertaining goes in the cabinet above the refrigerator) things go down in the basement storage closet. It wasn't there.

My system had failed me. It was in the regular kitchen cabinet, right inside the wooden salad bowl, up above on the shelf. Sometimes life is like that--we put some things so far back into the recesses of our mind that we lose all recollection of them happening. Then, when we least expect needing them, we search desperately . . .frantically. We search in fear that something we always thought we had so safely in our grasp and in our reach may be lost to us now forever.

And what's funny is how we usually find these things in the most obvious of places.

Rest in peace Nana Courtney

A Day To Collect . . .

A beautiful Maine "fall" day (almost). Copious sunshine. Heavy breezes. Cool temperatures (comparatively). We started today with Amanda walking, and me going for a long bike ride through Fairfield, Benton, and Clinton. I rode up to the Shawmut Dam, which I will have to photograph sometime--it is both beautiful and a fantastic fishing spot. I mowed the lawn and trimmed the beds. And soon, we'll go out to plant some trees we bought--an ornamental pear and a sugar maple.

Amanda baked some zucchini bread this afternoon, and I uploaded a bunch of music onto iTunes. Also, grandmom and grandpop stopped by to see our new addition. With grandmom's illness, hospitalization and all, this is the first time they have been over since last Christmas Eve--just a week before she had her heart problems begin. Grandmom and Amanda compared recipes, caught up on gossip, and talked about baking zucchini bread. Grandpop and I sampled some of my homemade sauerkraut, which, consequently, was ready today. I started making homemade sauerkraut last summer, after I found a recipe in Mother Earth magazine. Grandpop gave me a really nice earthenware glazed crock (pictured above) for making it. It tastes different than what you might buy at the store (the sauerkraut, not the crock), but I like it better--it is completely natural, and it ferments the "old fashioned" way.

On Monday, we may have our "New Years Day" traditional pork and sauerkraut dinner--this had to be put off until now since grandmom had been in the hospital for pretty much the whole year. It will be a special dinner indeed, and one long overdue. Perhaps my kraut will make an appearance. Also, perhaps I'll make some "Nana meatballs," which are my Nana Courtney's special sweet and sour meatballs which remind me of just about every Christmas of my whole life. It would be nice to honor both grandmothers at once. As of this writing, Nana Courtney is still hanging on, and we are just all waiting for the "news." We hope it happens soon so she can be at peace. Its amazing how she is hanging on--she has no IV, no drugs, no oxygen, no food, and no hydration. Just a testament to what a strong woman she is, I guess.

Its just a quiet and beautiful day here in Fairfield. We have no idea what the next five minutes might bring--a call from my mom, planting trees, or having another stout--but that is the beauty of these rare, special days. Looking at the clock, it is just about 4:30, and I ask myself where the day has gone. But at the same time, I don't really want to know. I am learning lately that sometimes its best just to "be," and enjoy the small moments of time with which we are blessed.