MY Blog

exhaustion.  it’s been a tough week (because of details way too boring to recount).  thank goodness for the 3 day holiday coming up.

It’s hard to believe a week ago we were relaxing in Maine.  When we go to Maine, I tend to stay inland.  It’s more my speed.  And the weather tends to be better.  So when the forecast was calling for a week of rain, I just crossed my fingers and forged ahead.  While it may have stormed along the coast (Maine has a coast, people, not a shore), inland it was 80s and sunny!  Just one daytime storm to contend with.

This was our home for a week.  The red cabin (a “camp” in Maine parlance) on the right is ours.  There are others nearby, but not so near to be on top of each other. The camp is known as Sadulsky’s and it’s on East Pond in the Belgrade (pronounced with the long a) Lakes region of central Maine.  Many lakes in Maine are called “ponds.”  I guess with the ocean as comparison, nobody wanted to be accused of exaggeration.  East Pond is a lovely lake.  The water temp was an unheard of 82 degrees.

East Pond is also home to many loons. And reading Things.  Amazing what the lack of an internet connection will cause you to do.

Without the internet, many games of Monopoly were played.

Our monopoly was missing its housing.  We subbed tokens and coins.  Notice all the splotches on the board.  No, not the fault of a craptastic photo–those are the bugs.  Maine is not without bugs.  Maine is for the truly hearty.  There’s a saying, “if you can’t take the winter, you don’t deserve the summer.”  Same thing goes with the bugs.  (if you can’t take the little bugs, you don’t deserve the bigger?)

As for the monopoly, sadly I lost.  And I was a poor sport.  (note to self: do not show this ugly side of self to Things ever again!).  We won’t be playing monopoly much in the future though.  I conveniently left it behind in the cabin, to join all the other “forgotten things” from over the years.

I did get a lot of knitting done!

This is the back to Jasmine (from Kim Hargreaves).  Big heart.  But it’s been placed on hold temporarily.  Because it’s being knit on tiny size 3s, and if I even hope to come close to finish that stupid excellent knit 12 sweaters this year KAL, then I’ve got to move on.  But, I am enjoying this knit, and I’m using koigu in a semi-solid.  However, after knitting the back, I realized it wasn’t really the sweater I wanted, it was the shiny belt.

After finishing this back, I moved along to finishing up a UFO, my argyle vest.  And, ta-dah, after 10 months, it’s done!

There’s a surprise on the back:

stripes!  I wasn’t interested in continuing the argyle pattern, so I just improvised.  V. pleased.  And done just in time for the slight chill in the air!

Anyway, back to vacation.  In the middle of the week, we traveled to SoPo (South Portland).  I visited a best friend and former co-worker who’s just had two very Job-like years.  She’s due for something good.  I love visiting her house though, because she’s got this amazing birch tree in her front yard.  Everytime I’m there, we put our respective Things in front of it for some pix.

Prior to the tree shot, we did make it to Freeport and the best store in the world (even if it’s getting a big to big for its britches) LL Bean. Thing 1 needed some shoes.

Thing 1 is leaving boy-hood behind in a big way.  In June, he was a size 6 shoe and 73 lbs.  At his dr. check up the week before Maine, he weighed in a 93 lbs! (and about 3 inches taller).  He was still wearing the size 6 shoes, but I was thinking, “hmmm, we ought to go to Beans and measure his feet–i’ll bet he’s in adult sizes now.”

Here’s his new shoes.  Not really, but he is a men’s 9!  Ouch.  I feel like the chinese foot-binding mom.  ouch again!

So we’re refreshed, ready for school (with new big shoes), and ready for Fall!  Woo-hoo!