While the Cat's Away...

Jordan and I took advantage of our weekend home without the kids to go hiking for the day. 

Troy and Melissa, our dear friends, joined us for our 8+ mile trek around Great Wass Island.

The weather was great, and the scenery incredible.  

It was the perfect (albeit exhausting) day.

Summer Skills

Before heading off to Washington State to spend a few weeks with Jordan's folks, the kids did their best to keep themselves occupied.  They attended marine biology, art, lego robotics and other similarly themed camps, and they enjoyed some of the local festivities.  These events included Margaretta Day (a celebration of Machias' participation in the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War), Puckerbrush (a gathering of people who embrace primitive skills), and the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival (where Annabel dressed as a lobster to help sell lobster rolls for her trip to France next summer).

At Puckerbrush, Thane honed his archery skills, and then spent a few hours turning a willow branch into a hand made bow.

Annabel preferred to get her hands dirty by molding local Machiasport clay into pottery.  She also enjoyed hand forging an iron hook.

But mostly the kids looked for endless ways to stay cool.

Jump in!

Face Lift

We spent most of the spring working on the exterior of our old home.  Built in 1805, the house has seen its fair share of renovations over the years.  Surprisingly, however, the siding hasn't been touched in a long time.  (While we can't say exactly how long, the siding was secured into the wall with hand forged square nails).  Years of sanding off paint had taken its toll, and Jordan estimates that the wood clapboards had been shaved down to less than half of their original depth - making for some pretty cold drafts in the middle of our frigid winters.  So we decided to insulate and re-side.

The clapboard siding on half of the house came off quickly and fairly easily.  We even discovered that there had once been an addition on the front of the house (you can see where the wall has been patched in to the left of the front door, along with the faint outline of the addition roof). 

Removing the cedar shakes on the other half of the house was a much longer and more tedious chore. Along the way we discovered some issues with rotting corner posts, but Jordan had those repaired in no time. 

 

We still have to add some stairs, paint the front door and do some landscaping, but we love the end result.

The house just "pops" now, and we can even enjoy it from across the river.

Good Morning America!

Jordan's sister Abby is in town, and we have had a great time visiting with her.  This morning Abby and I woke up at 3:45am and drove 40 minutes up to West Quoddy Light in scenic Lubec.  This is the eastern-most spot in the U.S., and we wanted to be among the first to watch the sunrise.  We weren't disappointed!

Although a bit shy at first,

the sun was in full blaze within a matter of minutes:

We were in awe. 

Truly spectacular, and well worth the few hours of missed sleep.

Wedding Bells

Last weekend Jordan and I were in Maryland celebrating the marriage of two amazing friends, Johnny & Amanda:

We've waited for this day for years, and it was just perfect.  The wedding and reception were classy, casual and a whole lot of fun.  These two have a true depth of character, and it was a privilege to partake in the festivities. 

Jordan was one of the best men, and he found a great piece of advice to share with the newlyweds:  In marital conflicts be more interested in peace than justice.  Truth!  Caleb, Johnny's other best man (and dear friend to Jordan) shared great stories about Johnny's generosity over the years.  Amanda was lauded, too, for her friendship.

It was so much fun to visit with long lost friends that we haven't seen since leaving Maryland in 2008 - and to make new friends too. 

Many blessings to Johnny and Amanda for a long and fruitful life.

Summer Sights

This is the time of year when we Mainers get so caught up in the wonderful weather that we forget about the looming change of season.  In the words of George R.R. Martin, "Winter is coming."  But until then, we are swept away by the beauty around us.

Coincidentally (or not!) summer is also when we get most of our visitors.  This year we got to hang out with friend of the Ahlquist family Nick and his lovely partner Lilly.  What a fun couple they are!

 

A week later, I received a surprise phone call from one of my dearest friends, Polly, who was in Maine for a few days.  Polly, her sister and I met in Ellsworth for a lively night at the local Mexican joint.  Lots of love and laughter for sure!

Annabel and Thane have been on the west coast with Jordan's parents for the last few weeks.  They are wreaking havoc with their beloved cousins, and I'm fairly confident that Dad & Mom are more than ready to have their home (and sanity!) back.  We are so grateful that the kids are able to have such a special relationship with both sets of grandparents.

We're taking advantage of our quiet time to log in lots of miles on the trail by the River, where we continue to get a front row seat to Mother Nature in all of her glory.

 

Warm wishes!