MRM was the first to say it. Last week, she looked out over the treetops when we were on French's Mountain and said, "It's starting to look and feel like the beginning of fall." Then I heard the newscasters say it on the television. Can it really be? Noooooo. It's August! But today in downtown Farmington, the bank sign said, "12:31" and then it said, "65". This was 12:31 in the middle of the day sunshine. 65 degrees! How wild is that?! When I got back to the Education Center, I mentioned to Kristin my dismay at the temperature (dismay in a good way . . . I'm delighted to not be sweating but rather to need a sweater in August). She replied, "There's a frost warning for parts of Franklin county tonight and some counties in Maine just north of here are having a freeze warning." It's August!! how can it be so cold already??? I guess I'll find out soon enough, eh?
When I drove to the airport tonight, I had to take a fleece jacket. I can't wait to get off the plane in Texas tomorrow afternoon with a fleece jacket.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Yea Judy, Fred and Dottie!
Okay, this posting is not about Maine, it's about Texas. But I don't have (and don't want to start) another blog . . . at least not yet . . . so I'm posting it here.
Background:
I taught elementary school in Dallas for 21 years at The Lamplighter School--an awesome early childhood education school for children ages 3-10. My specialty was math and I L O V E teaching math. I had quite a collection of resources for teaching math. When I retired from Lamplighter, I carefully packed up all of those resources. They represented so many years of fond memories of rewarding work. Fast forward to 8 years later (now). Time is a great healer and after 8 years of storing that stuff, I knew it was an incredible resource collection but I didn't have the emotional attachment anymore. I could've sold all the resources piecemeal in my estate sale but instead I contacted Dottie and Fred at my church. They head up the Outreach Committee and have contacts all over the community. I told them about the collection and asked if they knew of a school that could really use the materials. It took a while since it was summer and school was out, but they found one! Our Lady of Perpetual Help is our parish's sister parish and they have a K-8 school. OLPH was thrilled to take the entire collection. They were going to really focus on improving their math curriculum this year, so the timing was perfect.
I had to leave town before all the connections were made, so I called Judy to ask for help. She's a long time friend (and Virginia's mom) who goes to All Saints, too, and works on the Outreach Committee with Dottie and Fred. She agreed to house the entire collection until the connections were all made. Dr. Mari and I delivered all the stuff (it filled my entire Saturn, including the trunk, back seat, and passenger seat, so Dr. Mari had to follow me over there in her car) late Saturday night before I left town Monday. (What? Procrastinate? Wait to the last minute? Not me!) I was going to call Dottie and Fred before I left to tell them where the stuff was, but somehow never got around to it. But Judy made the connection and by the time I called Dottie today, 3 weeks after I left town, she told me they had already found the perfect home, picked up the stuff, and delivered it to OLPH.
Yeeehah!!
God is soooooo good!
Thank you Judy, Dottie, and Fred!!
8/16/07: Crabcakes and Whoopie Pie
Ooops. This is out of order. But here are photos of our delicious dinner on my last night at OOB with Grace. We went to Bailey's Lobster Pound at lunch to get our lobster rolls and also picked up crab cakes for dinner. They're different from Maryland Crab Cakes but they were oh so yummy. The black is not burnt, it's like blackened cajun seasonings.
And for dessert? Whoopie Pie! A Maine classic.
Does it seem like all we did in OOB was eat? Well, it wasn't. We really worked, and worked hard, but work doesn't photograph well. So all you get to see is what we ate.
And for dessert? Whoopie Pie! A Maine classic.
Does it seem like all we did in OOB was eat? Well, it wasn't. We really worked, and worked hard, but work doesn't photograph well. So all you get to see is what we ate.
Saturday, 8/19/07: Texas Barbeque in Maine!
I couldn't resist. I've driven by this place several times but it was usually late at night, coming home from an airport. Today, I was on my own schedule, so I stopped in for lunch. This restaurant is run by Mike and Terri. Mike is an El Paso native. He uses real mesquite wood and everything is really yummy. His meats are incredibly tender and moist. The barbecue sauces aren't as good as Spring Creek Barbecue but they were still good.
They do catering, but imagine this: they're already booked for Texas Independence Day 2008! Who else is having a party that day?? I want to meet them! But we can still stop by and pick up a big load of barbecue for takeout.
They're closed tomorrow so that they can take their sons back to college. I love it! Family first.
They do catering, but imagine this: they're already booked for Texas Independence Day 2008! Who else is having a party that day?? I want to meet them! But we can still stop by and pick up a big load of barbecue for takeout.
They're closed tomorrow so that they can take their sons back to college. I love it! Family first.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Saturday, 8/18/07: Red Sox Ice Cream
Look what I found in the local grocery store in Auburn. There were several flavors of Red Sox ice cream, including "Fenway Fudge" and "Comeback Caramel".
Saturday, 8/18/07: Dutch Treat
There's a cute little ice cream place on the way out of town on Route 4. Since I was on my own today, out exploring and trying to figure out the backroads to Lewiston Auburn on my own, I could take the time to stop here.
They carry Gifford's ice cream. :-)
This is the house specialty, the "Dutch Treat"--a cone of vanilla soft serve ice cream rolled in Rice Krispies and dipped in chocolate:
They carry Gifford's ice cream. :-)
This is the house specialty, the "Dutch Treat"--a cone of vanilla soft serve ice cream rolled in Rice Krispies and dipped in chocolate:
8/17/07: Native Maine Tomatoes
Grace introduced me to Maine Native Tomatoes (I guess that's a breed of tomato and not a classification?) and to two ways to eat them: 1. a tomato sandwich (one slice of tomato is enough because it's as big as the slice of bread) made with bread, mayonnaise, and the tomato, and 2. her grandmother's favorite breakfast--a slice of tomato on buttered toast sprinkled with sugar. They were both delicious...different from anything I've ever eaten before, but quite yummy.
Thursday, 8/16/07: Lobster Roll for Lunch
Oh my. oh my. oh my. How delicious! AND, check out how big this lobster roll is:
Wednesday, 8/15/07: Libby's Chocolates
No way! I read about this place, but Grace took me inside so I could see it for myself. Yes, this is a 1,700 pound chocolate moose at a fine chocolatier shop.
And if that wasn't enough, they've created new chocolate sculptures.
Lobster for people who prefer chocolate to seafood:
Lighthouses (how appropriate) filled with chocolate covered blueberries. They had samples and these were actually quite yummy.
Chocolate for Christmas.
All that and they have ice cream, too!
And if that wasn't enough, they've created new chocolate sculptures.
Lobster for people who prefer chocolate to seafood:
Lighthouses (how appropriate) filled with chocolate covered blueberries. They had samples and these were actually quite yummy.
Chocolate for Christmas.
All that and they have ice cream, too!
Wednesday, 8/15/07: windscreen on the beach
Yesterday was incredibly gorgeous. Fortunately, Grace, Beth, and I went out on the beach to carry on some of our important work-related conversations. Today, it's chilly and breezy. Grace and I stayed inside, but when I looked outside, I saw this:
What are those you ask? (If you didn't ask, you should've.) They're windscreens! It's fabric about 3 feet high, stretched out in a long line and held into place by 3 poles--one on each end and one in the middle. You can even set it up in an L shape. You can enjoy the sun without the wind. What will they think of next? On the Texas beaches, whatever breeze you can get (there's never any wind except for hurricanes) is most welcome and one would never intentionally block it.
What are those you ask? (If you didn't ask, you should've.) They're windscreens! It's fabric about 3 feet high, stretched out in a long line and held into place by 3 poles--one on each end and one in the middle. You can even set it up in an L shape. You can enjoy the sun without the wind. What will they think of next? On the Texas beaches, whatever breeze you can get (there's never any wind except for hurricanes) is most welcome and one would never intentionally block it.
Wednesday, 8/15/07: Beach Sweeping
Grace explained this to me, but until you see it for yourself, it's hard to imagine. You've heard of street sweepers? This is a beach sweeper! It's especially good at getting seaweed off the beach.
Tuesday, 8/14/07: Lunch at Old Orchard Beach
Doesn't this look delicious? :-)
Beth came to OOB today and the three of us did some work and some play. For lunch we got pier fries and went to Bailey's Lobster Pound. Beth and Grace got lobster rolls and I got this sampler. Left to Right: lobster roll, crab roll, shrimp roll.
I'm so sorry you couldn't be here to have one with us. It was incredibly delicious. And we also got pier fries! (See posting from Easter for details.)
Beth came to OOB today and the three of us did some work and some play. For lunch we got pier fries and went to Bailey's Lobster Pound. Beth and Grace got lobster rolls and I got this sampler. Left to Right: lobster roll, crab roll, shrimp roll.
I'm so sorry you couldn't be here to have one with us. It was incredibly delicious. And we also got pier fries! (See posting from Easter for details.)
Sunday, 8/12/07: Making Blueberry Pie
So what do you do with 5 and 1/2 pounds of blueberries? Make pie! (Plus, we're going to freeze some to use later . . . in muffins, in yogurt, and I don't even know what other recipes might be in store . . . I think we'll have to pick some more before the season is over.)
MRM taught me how her mom separates the blueberries--the quality control phase. Then, she showed me how she makes pie. I used to make apple pie a bazillion years ago, but I'm very rusty and I've never done blueberry. I was an eager learner. I felt like Matt Lauer on the Today Show. The guest celebrity chef expertly demonstrates each step and the amateur just mimics each step and tries to keep up.
I think it worked! Look how beautiful they turned out! And they tasted as good as they looked.
MRM taught me how her mom separates the blueberries--the quality control phase. Then, she showed me how she makes pie. I used to make apple pie a bazillion years ago, but I'm very rusty and I've never done blueberry. I was an eager learner. I felt like Matt Lauer on the Today Show. The guest celebrity chef expertly demonstrates each step and the amateur just mimics each step and tries to keep up.
I think it worked! Look how beautiful they turned out! And they tasted as good as they looked.
Sunday, 8/12/07: Blueberry Picking
Sunday morning we went to church and guess who was there! Brian, mom, dad, and sister! What fun!
After church, we called and the blueberry fields were open! They were only open from 8 to noon, so we had to hurry. We made it! MRM taught me how to "roll" the berry off the vine. We each walked around and filled small bowls with blueberries, then dumped our bowl into a bigger one that we left on the ground. That way our bowls never got too heavy. We spent about 2 hours at it when we heard someone yell, "The blueberry fields are closed! Please leave the fields immediately and check out." So we did. Turns out, we were the last ones. The field owner was very nice checking us out and even posed for the photo. I mentioned that whoever made the announcement had a good teacher outdoor voice and he laughed. It was his daughter who made the announcement and she is a high school teacher.
Here's MRM demonstrating proper picking posture:
Here's ME! picking blueberries:
A close-up of the blueberries:
The friendly field owner weighing our blueberries:
The sign on the road announcing the location of the blueberry field. Note that it says they are closed . . . that's when we left.
After church, we called and the blueberry fields were open! They were only open from 8 to noon, so we had to hurry. We made it! MRM taught me how to "roll" the berry off the vine. We each walked around and filled small bowls with blueberries, then dumped our bowl into a bigger one that we left on the ground. That way our bowls never got too heavy. We spent about 2 hours at it when we heard someone yell, "The blueberry fields are closed! Please leave the fields immediately and check out." So we did. Turns out, we were the last ones. The field owner was very nice checking us out and even posed for the photo. I mentioned that whoever made the announcement had a good teacher outdoor voice and he laughed. It was his daughter who made the announcement and she is a high school teacher.
Here's MRM demonstrating proper picking posture:
Here's ME! picking blueberries:
A close-up of the blueberries:
The friendly field owner weighing our blueberries:
The sign on the road announcing the location of the blueberry field. Note that it says they are closed . . . that's when we left.
Saturday, 8/11/07: Adventure #3--Kayaking!
Yeeehah! Adventure #3 was my first kayaking trip! MRM and Creston loaded the kayaks on the car top. The plan was to leave both dogs at home, but as soon as Benny saw the kayaks going on the car, he jumped in. MRM kept telling me he loved kayaking but I thought that maybe he just put up with it. Now I believe her that he really loves it.
We went to Wilson Lake that is very nearby. It was near sunset, so the waters were smooth. Apparently, they had been rather choppy earlier in the day. We had to share the boat dock with some motor boats, but they were very kind about it. The look on their faces when Benny jumped into the kayak was priceless. MRM had to answer a lot of questions about her kayaking hound dog before we got out of there.
Kayaking is so fun! And so much easier than canoeing. I fell in love with it right away. We stayed near the water's edge since we didn't have lights on our craft. We got pretty far out when we saw this loon. We later saw another adult and a teenager nearby, so we assume it was all one family. None of the three of them ever did any calling, but some loon somewhere on the lake with a really loud voice made up for their silence. We listened to the call of the loon all the way back into the dock.
As we were loading the kayaks on the car, a family walked by. The mom stopped to talk to MRM and the other three went on. The mom wanted to know all about how to rent a kayak and how to learn how to kayak. The two of them talked for quite a while. I finally finished up my side of loading up and went around the car to where they were talking. "Meet my roommate," she said. "She works at UMF, too!" Turns out, the future kayaker's son is new to UMF this year and the family had come to help him get settled. Pretty soon, the rest of the family came back to get mom and she immediately introduced us to Brian, her son that will be in new faculty orientation with me. It may not quite be a full 5 degrees of Theresa Overall encounter, but it was a fun "small world" event.
We went to Wilson Lake that is very nearby. It was near sunset, so the waters were smooth. Apparently, they had been rather choppy earlier in the day. We had to share the boat dock with some motor boats, but they were very kind about it. The look on their faces when Benny jumped into the kayak was priceless. MRM had to answer a lot of questions about her kayaking hound dog before we got out of there.
Kayaking is so fun! And so much easier than canoeing. I fell in love with it right away. We stayed near the water's edge since we didn't have lights on our craft. We got pretty far out when we saw this loon. We later saw another adult and a teenager nearby, so we assume it was all one family. None of the three of them ever did any calling, but some loon somewhere on the lake with a really loud voice made up for their silence. We listened to the call of the loon all the way back into the dock.
As we were loading the kayaks on the car, a family walked by. The mom stopped to talk to MRM and the other three went on. The mom wanted to know all about how to rent a kayak and how to learn how to kayak. The two of them talked for quite a while. I finally finished up my side of loading up and went around the car to where they were talking. "Meet my roommate," she said. "She works at UMF, too!" Turns out, the future kayaker's son is new to UMF this year and the family had come to help him get settled. Pretty soon, the rest of the family came back to get mom and she immediately introduced us to Brian, her son that will be in new faculty orientation with me. It may not quite be a full 5 degrees of Theresa Overall encounter, but it was a fun "small world" event.
Saturday, 8/11/07: Adventure #2--Flint Woods
From our local hideaway, we headed to our second adventure, Flint Woods. It was a flat hike through some piney woods. The dogs really enjoyed this one. At the summit, there were 2 lawn chairs sitting there in just the right place to enjoy the view. MRM said they're there year round. They were in really good shape. How cool that no one had damaged them or removed them. I would have loved to have seen the person/people hiking in carrying those chairs.
I took a picture of the "kindle no fires" sign because it cracks me up. Why not just say, "No fires"? It took a long time for me to even understand what was being said after I saw one of these the first time when I was snowshoeing. We so rarely use the word "kindle" as a verb in Texas.
I took a picture of the "kindle no fires" sign because it cracks me up. Why not just say, "No fires"? It took a long time for me to even understand what was being said after I saw one of these the first time when I was snowshoeing. We so rarely use the word "kindle" as a verb in Texas.
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