7/13/08 Yet More Theatre!

Andrea, the choir director at church, plays piano for many events in town including the summer musical theatre camp for kids. Rodney knew one of the participants and I'm always up for a musical, so we went to the Sunday matinee of Willy Wonka Jr. It was so well done and very fun. Apparently these "junior" plays are getting quite popular with children's theatre programs--they're scaled down versions (Reader's Digest versions?) with the same plot and all the music but simpler lines and choreography, etc. Andrea said the Into the Woods Jr. play is essentially the first act only of the original Into the Woods. I can handle this! It helps for the youngsters putting on the production but also for their friends and siblings in the audience. For those with short attention spans in the audience (grownups as well as children), this is a bonus.

7/13/08 Field Activity Continues

More work in the field. But look how the strip they already harvested has started to grow back. So they alternate between cutting the stuff and baling it into traditional bales and baling it into those big round bales. I've learned the word "tedding" which is when they cut it and then spread it out for drying. It's been quite fascinating watching the process slowly but surely happen over a period of a few days. Those in the know have told me that they'll harvest this field two or three times in a single summer. That means I get to watch this and learn more about it some more! I have no desire to become a farmer or anything that rural, but I do find it all fascinating.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dr. Theresa Overall
Assistant Professor
University of Maine at Farmington
Secondary/Middle Education Department
office: Education Center 220
phone: (207) 778-7049
email: theresa.overall@maine.edu

7/12/08 Games Night

Games Night was at MY place! This is our sixth Games Night and I got to play hostess. It's actually my second time to host 'cuz MRM and I co-hosted back in April. Whooop! We started on the verandah and actually just sat around and ate, yacked, and drank for 2.5 hours until the darkness and the mosquitoes got to us. Then we went inside and played Tri-Bond and yacked, ate, and drank some more. People brought chairs (I was worried I wouldn't have enough), food, games, and FLOWERS! I liked that part! Here are roses from Michelle:

and here are sunflowers from Pearia:

7/12/08 iPhone 2.0

On June 9, Steve Jobs announced the new iPhone and all the new features in iPhone 2.0 software. The good news for those of us who invested in the first iPhone is that most of the new stuff is available for us, too! Because the iPhone is software based, a software upgrade gives us most of the new features. Whooop! So I've been anticipating the new software for quite a while now. and yesterday was the day. My techno-geek friend Rodney and I promised each other that we would upgrade our iPhones together. We tried but there were so many people upgrading on that day, plus we both had additional issues (my laptop hard drive was almost full and so it wasn't operating fully; he had just received a replacement iPhone and it hadn't been activated yet), that we didn't have any luck on Friday. But we got together today at the library (free wireless Internet) and pretty soon we were both up and running. Actually, he eventually got his up and running last night without me and had already downloaded a bunch of the new apps. Twit.

For all the details about the upgrade, check out my technology blog. (You'd think I already have enough blogs, but I'm thinking one can't have enough.)

So now that we both have the software, we wanted to find a place where we both could play on a wi-fi connection. The library was closed and in my office, only I can get it. So we headed over to The Big Burrito, a little restaurant in West Farmington that has free wi-fi. Here's Rodney sitting across from me at The Big Burrito (notice the wall-e watch).
He's totally engrossed in his iPhone while we're waiting for our lunch. We both were. At this point, I think he's installing Loopt software which I also installed. It's supposed to allow you to see where your friends are using the GPS or (in our case . . . on the older iPhone) cellular phone triangulation. It should probably be called "Stalker" software because if you didn't have the ability to block people from seeing you (you pick who you want to know your location and you can turn off the ability to be tracked at any time), it really would be software for stalkers. The funny thing about it was, it showed us to be 7 miles apart. That's a really big table at the restaurant! We figured the cell phone triangulation software only had 1 or 2 cell towers to work off of out here in rural Maine and that was as close as it could get.

And how are the burritos you ask? Well, to quote Trig (one of my fourth graders from a long time ago) when he found out I was in Maine, "My best advice is, 'Don't eat the Mexican food.'" I can highly recommend the ginger lemonade at The Big Burrito and the food is really good unless you're expecting spicy Mexican food.

7/9/08 An Evening at The Theatre

I'm sad to report that the great photos I had of this event got lost in a software upgrade. :-( But the memories are still there!

Luke is a UMF student who was in our Block classes in fall 2007. I saw him one day before the spring semester was over and when I asked what he was doing this summer he told me he was going to be Gilligan in The Lakewood Theater's production of Gilligan Island, The Musical. He told me I should come and I agreed it would be fun but I don't think he really believed I would make it. And we certainly surprised him when all 3 of us (Beth, Grace, and I) that teach the Block classes showed up!

The Lakewood Theater is America's oldest summer theater. What fun! We had dinner reservations for The Lakewood Restaurant which is just across the driveway from the theater. It was classic, too! The service was great. The food seemed to be one extreme or the other. My shrimp was particularly good and the cheesecake was yummy. We don't recommend the black bean cake entree.

The play was hysterical. I don't know how they were able to cast talented people who were sooo much like the TV characters that we all remember and loved. Even if we hadn't personally known the actor playing Gilligan, we would've enjoyed the show. But knowing Luke made the show about ten times funnier. I don't think I'll be able to call him Luke when I see him again--he will always be Gilligan from now on.

Here's my autographed program. It says, "To my Texas Theresa, Luke Ellis."

7/7/08 Old Crow Indian Band in Concert

Every Monday night throughout the summer at 7:30pm in the gazebo of the town park, the Old Crow Indian Band gives a concert. Yes, this is the same group that marched in the 4th of July parade. How fun is that?? I've actually heard them from my verandah, but this was my first time to purposefully attend the concert in the park.

I was helping a friend pack for his move when his cousins called from tonight's concert. We needed a break anyway and so we headed to the gazebo. It was everything you'd hope it would be. The music was good. There were long pauses between songs and no published program or list of songs. I think it might be more of an open rehearsal than a concert. But who cares?! Kids run around in the grass and climb over the monuments in the park, grown ups chat amongst themselves and wave at friends coming and going, folks sit in camp chairs and listen to the music, . . . it's all just good clean fun accompanied by live music.

7/6/08 Life on the verandah

Since it isn't attached to a doorway, I don't think it's a porch. I guess it could be a patio, but since it's covered and has columns and since it has such a lovely view, I do think verandah is the right name for this location, don't you? I do love it. And with all the sunshine lately (have you been looking at the sky in all the photos of the field lately?), I get to spend more time out here. (If you note the slits in the deck above, you'll know I haven't been sitting out there too much in the all the rain we had on a daily basis prior to July 4.) You're welcome to come join me on the verandah!

7/6/08 more progress in the field

7/6/08 Two Movies??

This afternoon I went to the afternoon matinée of Hancock. I actually knew nothing about the movie except that Will Smith was in it. If you know me, that's wild! I never go to a movie without prior assurance that it's going to have a happy ending and I don't do horror or violence. So to go without knowing was a big risk. Fortunately, I was not disappointed. In fact, I was delightfully surprised! Now even more surprising to myself and those who know me is that I went to a movie last Friday as well. That makes two movies in 9 days. Prior to this I don't think I went to two movies in 9 months. Prior to moving to Maine, it was probably two movies in 9 years!

What did I see last Friday? Wall-e! And on opening night no less! It was great fun and a great movie. AND I got one of the free digital watches that was supposed to be for kids but they had a bucketload and I asked and they gave me one. It took a while to figure out how to set it (I got good advice from an 8-year old friend at church on Sunday) but it works great. Rodney got one, too. He wears his all the time. I needed a desk clock, so I created a makeshift stand for it and it sits on my desk where I can see it easily. It reminds me both what time it is and what fun I am having in Maine.

7/4/08 4th of July Party #2

It's so fun to have two parties to go to on 4th of July! This is
Ashley's annual party but since she just got home from 3 weeks in
Africa and wasn't sure what condition her apartment would be in, it
was held at Sheena's house. What more could you ask for than some
fireworks . . .

. . . good food and fun people . . .

. . . in a beautiful setting.

7/4/08 4th of July Party #1

After the parade, I walked to my old house with MRM (okay, she's not My RoomMate anymore, but I'll still refer to her as that in this blog). Later RBF (Roommate's BoyFriend will still be RBF as well) and his brother, Rodney, came over and we spent a lazy afternoon at poolside with the dogs just soaking in sunshine and taking in the Red Sox game. Fortunately, they won the game. It was a good one.

Check out MRM's flower garden. It's beautiful . . . lots of variety
in shape, color, texture, et. al. It's attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and humans.

I actually soaked up more shade than sunshine. RBF did even more shade than I did. MRM and Rodney probably tied for most sun in a single afternoon, but MRM shifted from in the pool to by the pool to working in the garden. Rodney was mostly in the pool. Check out the iced tea in the drink holder on the side of the float . . . what a life.

Here's MRM adjusting the peas in the veggie garden. We were able to harvest 5 pods. . . the first peas of the season. YUM!

It's a dog's life. Elf almost seemed to enjoy being on the float with his mom. I think it was more being with mom than it was being on the float that he was enjoying.

Rodney was dogsitting for his brother and sister-in-law. That's Zoey who eventually settled in and had quiet times with the other dogs. She REALLY liked Elf. I think she either thought Elf was her puppy or a new toy.

7/4/08 Harvesting in the field

7/4/08 Here come the fire trucks! (and the end of the parade)

All good things must come to an end, and so does the Farmington 4th of July parade. At least they go out with a bang! Not only was the fire truck the last entrant, but all the surrounding communities sent fire trucks, so we ended up with a bunch of 'em!

Here's one from Strong, ME:

Wilton, ME:

Temple, ME:

New Sharon, ME (home of the Little League Yankees #1)

and Farmington's Engine #1

and Tower #3

7/4/08 Franklin County Dairy Club

This was my favorite entrant in the whole parade. I've been to many "community" parades and seen the local celebrities participate in the parade. I've seen the creative things community members can do when they get together for an event like a parade. But I've never seen anyone walking their cow in a parade, much less, their cow dressed up like a pirate! Not all members of the Franklin County Dairy Club stayed with the pirate theme, but check out the eye patches, the pirate hats, and my favorite: the swashbuckling pirate sash . . . usually with cow and human wearing matching sashes. Oh, and lest we be exclusive, this dairy club also has goats in addition to cows. And one of the goats is dressed in overalls!

7/4/08 I know these people!

The New Sharon Yankees is a Little League team coached by my friend Beth (the one waving at me). Her son is on the team (he's the one with the water gun pointed right at me).

These bicyclists are a brother and sister team that go to my church! I actually substituted in one of their Sunday School classes one Sunday.