First of all a confession. If you were behind me on I295 this morning I apologise for the fact that a set of carkeys shot off the roof of my car and onto the freeway right in front of you.
Subaru say a new key and blipblip will be $70...
I just had a horrendous week back at work. I was signed up to conference calls 9am to 1pm every single day. I did the first three meetings at my desk with a headset on, thinking I'd be able to catch up with some other work while I was there, but I just ended up with a headache. So the last couple of days I went to the Darling Avenue office and sat in a civilised room with several other very nice people. Anyway, next week should be much better.
It was 80F today. On the way from work to the beach I picked up a big order from Panera, then lay on the headland at Kettle Cove waiting for my posse to arrive.
It was a beautiful evening. An amazing sunset, then an amazing full moon rising. The Wallaces joined us, and the children - who are turning into 'proper' Mainers - all swam in the sea.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
A week beside Embden Pond
Dawn on Embden Pond
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
We just had a week at two adjoining cabins right beside Embden Pond, about 100 miles northwest of here, with Bobby, Alistair, Bradley and Rachel.
Lots more photos here.
We swam and canoed in the lake every day - we swam from the beach or swam out to the raft and the children jumped and dived in endlessly.
The children's swimming abilities came on while we were there. We had Bradley, Hannah and Ellie all doing forward somersaults into the water. On the last day we put them all in the lake without life jackets, and they all swam at least several strokes.
The cabin owners left us a two-person kayak, which we took out nearly every day. There were a few speedboats and jetskis on the lake, but mostly it was just very peaceful.
We had a mixture of blazing sunshine, overnight rain, and some days where it was quite windy.
It was a really relaxing holiday, and we didn't do much more than swim and kayak, eat and read, and occasionally go to the playground.
One evening we drove 46 miles over route 16 up to Monson for barbeque one night, only to find the restaurant closed. We ended up eating pizza in a random bakery, with a moose head mounted on the wall right above our table. Quite surreal.
We had a look round Skowhegan... well, we explored the Walmart and got a new battery for the car, and we had dinner at the Old Mill Inn one night.
We saw a few other Kennebec River towns. The river is beautiful in the patches where it hasn't been dammed for paper mills and HEP. It's a very poor area though, with trailers and men with long beards everywhere. While we were there I started reading a book called 'A Year in the Maine Woods' set nearby.
On the way back we stopped at the Harraseeket lobster place in South Freeport, where Bobby had lobster and everyone else had deep fried seafood. We explored the docks, looked at the boats, then Ellie pulled her first ever tooth out!
And now we're home again, and it's raining. What a wonderful week we just had...
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sunday 16th
They slept for 13 hours straight (not on the couch though)
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
We spent the morning pottering about, having been to John's 40th the night before. The children had stayed over at the Wallace's, then went off to feed the ducks in the morning.
Then Mike took the kids to Sabbathday Lake while I went to the supermarket to do one of those horrendous $350 shopping trips that I love so much.
By the time Mike got home Mark and Ellie were passed out, and they slept a straight 13 hours... We did put them to bed after a while, but not till I'd got a photo of them out like lights.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Yesterday
After work we met Carl and Nadja at Outlet Beach on Sabbathday Lake, towards Poland ME. They had taken the kids out there a couple of hours before, and set up a barbeque and endless food and drink.
I wasn't feeling too great and had left work early, and thought about not going. But despite feeling headachey and a bit sick it was lovely to just sit there and admire the sunset, and watch Mike and the children having a fabulous time playing in the water, and chat to the Wallaces.
There's a slide on a raft, a diving board on another raft, some Mark-size slides, a beach, and apparently the water was really warm. Will try to upload some photos.
I wasn't feeling too great and had left work early, and thought about not going. But despite feeling headachey and a bit sick it was lovely to just sit there and admire the sunset, and watch Mike and the children having a fabulous time playing in the water, and chat to the Wallaces.
There's a slide on a raft, a diving board on another raft, some Mark-size slides, a beach, and apparently the water was really warm. Will try to upload some photos.
Children dancing at the pow wow
IMG_0038.MOV
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Wonder if this will work... This was at the Maine Wildlife Park last weekend.
Ellie at the Wildlife Park
photo.jpg
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Last Sunday (8th?) we took the kids to the Maine Wildlife Park for the big local Pow Wow. It was quite an experience browsing through the many animal skins for sale, as well as dreamcatchers, beads, stones, outfits, feathers and many other things Native American.
There was singing, drumming and dancing, which we joined in with (went in through the wrong door/gate oops). I have a video which I'll try to upload.
We bumped into Andy and Jen Peacock and their kids, always nice to see them and not just to hear a British accent ;-)
The moose wasn't completely hiding away, and the cougars were out and about, but most of the other animals like woodchucks were well hidden.
We only did an afternoon there, and were glad not to have gone earlier - the car park was the most full I've ever seen it.
Oh and beforehand we had the uniquely Maine experience of eating at Cole Farms in Gray. Whenever I eat in a place like that I figure you should play to their strengths, so I had a lobster roll and Mike had fried chicken. The children had their first proper red hot dogs since we've been here. It was really cheap and filled the gap!
Kids at Reid SP on rocks
Kids at Reid SP on rocks
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Kids on the rocks at Reid - they kept finding pixies everywhere...
Reid State Park
Reid again
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Last Sat (7th?) we got together with Mitch, and took all the children and a few others to Reid State Park. We had Pie, Lulu, Max, Hannah, Ellie and Mark, so we didn't do much sitting around.
It's a beautiful place - great for the children because it has the beach with surf, then behind the beach is a nice calm lagoon. There's a bath house to change in, toilets, and a place selling ice creams.
And rocks where the children spent hours looking for pixie holes, and I spent ages freaking out that they would fall down a cliff...
Parked next to Mike today in Portland ME
Parked next to Mike today in Portland ME
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Mike saw this parked next to him in Portland the other day and couldn't resist taking a photo.
Mustang - you should've seen my hair by the time I got to work
Mustang - you should've seen my hair by the time I got to work
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Me suffering that well known condition 'Mustang hair'...
My new car...?
mustang
Originally uploaded by jillian_werb
Long story, but Nadja and Carl needed my car so they could get all the kids in, so I swapped it for Nadja's Mustang and had a fun drive to work. Here it is in the carpark at Unum...
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