Faces, New and Old

We've entertained all sorts of visitors at our home recently.  After Jordan's folks left, we had less than a week to get ready for the newest additions to the Lentz Farm:  chicks.  We ordered 20 meat birds (all of whom are, em, destined for freezer camp), and 27 egg layers. 

Days later, we went to Great Wass Island to visit old family friends Nick & Charlotte Salata.  As a kid, my family & I spent a couple blissful weeks each summer on the island with these dear friends - you could even say that Nick and Charlotte are the reason why we ended up in Machias in the first place! Just as I did as a child, Annabel & Thane LOVED looking for sea glass, hopping around the rocks and looking for seals. 

Last, but not least, Johnny drove up from Boston to see us for a few days.  Every time, we all agree that it's wonderful to see Johnny...

...although I'm fairly certain that Thane could do without Uncle Johnny's cigars!

Our Best Foot Forward

While landscaping isn't our top priority this year, we have tried to keep things looking somewhat manicured, at least in front of the house.  Sure, some of it is for our neighbor's sake, but we also needed to rip out overgrown trees and fauna whose roots were destroying the foundation.

One thing we haven't touched yet is the row of wild rose bushes that line the very front of our property.  They are prolific the entire summer, and they smell heavenly!

This is our view of the setting sun in the summer.  If you can manage to avoid the toxic combo of mosquitoes, black flies and no-see-ums, the front of the house is a lovely place to be!

Hurricane Arthur

Shortly after Jordan's folks headed back to the west coast, we experienced another, more sinister, visitor:  Hurricane Arthur.  We weathered the storm with a few casualties:  leaky windows (the ones Jordan just hasn't had time to flash properly), several downed trees (including a 100+ year old apple), and a brook that overran its banks.

 

Once the winds and the rains died down, I took the kids for a drive around the area.  We found scores of downed trees,

and a huge rift in the rocks at beautiful Jasper Beach in Bucks Harbor. It may not look like it in this photo, but this is a 10 foot drop that was about 15 feet wide.  Yikes!

On the way home, we noticed something strange in the water.  It turned out to be one side of a capsized sailboat.

Fortunately, we were only without power for a little over 3 days.  The kids thought of the whole experience as an adventure, Jordan viewed it as a dry run for a disaster of apocalyptic proportions, and I was just glad to get out of cleaning for a few days!

Mamma & Pappa!

Jordan's folks came for a long-awaited visit a couple of weeks ago, and the kids were more than ecstatic to play with their Mamma and Pappa.  We showed them around the area, ate LOTS of seafood, antiqued, visited and hiked (see one of our hiking destinations below).

Mom even found time to help me spruce up an old wooden trunk that I found a few years ago.  We stenciled the top and sides, and then she enhanced the writing on the front.  I love this piece and it now brings back great memories of visiting with Mom while she labored away.

Sadly, our 6 day visit ended much too soon.  We had a wonderful time with both of them, and we already can't wait for their next visit!

Passing the Time

The kids are enjoying their summer vacation.  We have several babysitters lined up, and they love playing with different friends.

Their time at home, however, has taken on a bit of a destructive bent.  First of all, both Annabel & Thane have discovered the joy of butterfly catching.  Annabel caught a monarch with her net one fated day last week, and it's been the insect version of the killing fields ever since.  No winged creature is safe at the Lentz house - cricket, firefly, moth nor butterfly!

 

We also caught a racoon this past weekend.  It's a long story...

 

Lastly, this is how I've found Thane spending his "down" time.  Yup, that's a trash can.  Nope, we don't know why.