End of vacation

I have been very negligent in posting recently.  I see my last post was my second week of vacation.  We ended up going to Stonington instead up Cobscook Bay.  Spent two nights down at The Old Quarry Campground; a nice place right on the ocean, great docks, nice people.

Here's a picture of me hanging out at the campground . . . and hanging out . . . and hanging out.

Bill, the owner took us out on a guided kayak tour of the islands one day and Captain Steve took us out the next day in a lobster boat tour to Isle au Haut and around the archipelago.

kayaking around the islands

Isle au Haut

He dropped us off on Green Island, a deserted island where the only other visitors left in a sailboat just as we were arriving.

There’s a fresh water quarry where we went skinny dipping while Steve took his only other passenger back to Stonington.

The freshwater quarry

Rick taking the plunge

Me, enjoying the water

The other passenger was the owner of another island, one of the potato islands I think.  Steve had arranged to pick her up and bring her back to Stonington. We met up with her out in her dory about 50 feet offshore.  The dory shot out from under her as she was boarding our boat and Rick and Steve had to pull her up out of the sea and get her into the boat.  She was very good natured about it; not that unusual an event on the islands perhaps.   

After retrieving us from the island we went to see some nesting ospreys, then a circuitous route back to Stonington.  We had to head right back home, take quick showers and drive up to The Granary in Farmington to celebrate Christopher’s 21^st birthday. 

Chris enjoying his first legal drink

I returned to work on Monday where my office was torn apart with stripped walls and floors.  So I worked through Wednesday out of Sara’s office and Rick and I left mid morning on Thursday to go to the Podunk Bluegrass Festival in E. Hartford, CT.  Nice festival grounds and nice people.  It was very hot but the band played well though they only earned 4^th place in the band competition.  Don placed 2^nd in the songwriter’s competition with his song, Ice in Your Veins.  Ken Irwin of Rounder Records was very interested in Rick’s original song, Highway to Your Heart so they’ve been emailing back and forth and he’s trying to get a national band to record it.  He’s also interested in other songs Rick has so he’s started recording some demos to send him. 

Rick playing at Podunk

The NitPickers

I went back to work on Tuesday at which time my office was ready for me to move back into with newly painted walls and hardwood floors laid.  They also bought me a nice new desk and it was good to get things set back up after purging a shitload of old files. 

Still boxes to unpack

Jared’s 25^th birthday was on Wednesday so we had a little party for him here at the house with Justin and Keely, Chris and Sara, Auntie, Donnie, Glen, Tom, Lisa, Chelsea, Bill and his girlfriend Frederique who had just arrived from France the night before.

Bill and Frederique

Bill and Frederique stopped over again on Friday afternoon and accompanied us to The Depot for pizza and beer after which we strolled through the Gardiner Art Walk.  Bruce was have an opening at Mad Dog.  He and Bill had known each other 20 years ago but of course he never knew we were brother and sister. 

Today Rick went to play at a pig roast and I went up to Aristo and had Justin do my hair.  I stopped by his house afterwards; it’s coming along nice and he’s been taking good care of his yard.  He’s got some delicious blackberries growing out back. 

Tomorrow the NitPickers are playing at The Village Inn.  Eddie and Michelle, and Bill and Frederique are supposed to be joining me up there for dinner.  

The Bumper Sticker Anthology - Part I - Evergreen Sudbury School

I love bumper stickers.  My car windows suffer the consequences.  When it was time to trade in my car earlier this year it broke my heart to bid goodbye to my old friend, and the stickers.  The car had served me well but it needed substantial work.  It came at as good a time as possible.  I could afford a new car, but it felt like saying goodbye to an old friend who held many sweet memories within the bumper stickers it wore.
 
One of my oldest stickers was from the little school in Hallowell where all three of my sons attended at one time or another.  “Self directed learning in a democratic setting” was their motto - a beautiful place that every child should experience at least for a while.  The kids ran the school through Business School Meeting, dealing with issues of budgets, hiring staff, purchasing supplies; and Judicial School Meeting, dealing with disciplinary issues.  They chose what to study and when to study it within availability of the staff, their mentors. 

“Who are you?” the school asks, and the kids answer, with books . . .  often choosing to start off looking for their intellectual side in their search for themselves.  And art - working with clay Jared created elaborate scenes of a forest with cowboys sitting around a campfire , their horses, nearby.  The landscape and inhabitants changed daily for weeks. 

And then comes the music, heard incessantly with the thump of the bass reverberating through the walls until the other kids convene a Judicial School Meeting to air their grievance and consensus is reached that bass free zones would be honored - democracy in its truest form.  Later however, the musicians prevail in their motion before the Business School Meeting to purchase a school guitar that could actually be tuned and some of them are never to be seen again, though heard softly practicing with sweet and not so sweet melodies emanating gently from the music room.   Well at least not until the winter comes with a bountiful snow and they're free to bring their sleds and snowboards to school and enjoy a full day of, hmmmm, let's call it phys ed, the conditioning of public school still tugging at them.  Snow always leads to forts and elaborate tunnels which inevitably lead to snow ball fights - and the teachers (ooops, mentors) are right out there with them.

Winter wears on and long conversation abound about the philosophy behind the movie Fight Club, (the book is better cry out the avid readers) or moral and ethical issues surrounding the new video game one of them wants to bring to school, Grand Theft Auto.  

As spring nears my oldest, who's never been good at fractions, understands them intimately within hours as he decides he's going to learn how to sew in order to design his own clothes; he's always had his own style but he takes unique to a new level, and my husband cringes when he appears for church decked out in his new outfit and hairstyle.  Yes he says, I realize people will see me as a freak but when they meet me one on one they'll see I'm not scary or weird and maybe it will help them overcome preconceived judgments about people.

hmmm, how can I argue with that logic.  Damn school. 

So goodbye Evergreen Sudbury School, self directed learning in a democratic setting.  You'll always be in my heart, if not on my car.
  

What's new

Justin was offered a job at T-Mobile today.  Good starting pay – almost $15 per hour, plus benefits.  He’s been struggling as a cosmetologist for the last few years, and especially since he went out on his own a few months ago.  This will give him a good steady income and he thinks they’ll help pay tuition towards a computer science degree. 

Christopher moved into his dorm at UMF today.  He went up to Alex’s in Farmington last night and Alex helped him move in today.  Good thing he went up last night as we had a surprise snowstorm this morning and it would have been a bitch to drive even the half hour. 

So really all three of my dear sons are doing well.  Jared is still working part time at the public library in Monmouth and is starting his first library science class this week.  He’s got quite a few credits towards the degree already from the English major classes he’d been taking so hopefully he’ll be able to do the library science degree within a couple of years.  It’s a great fit for him, being such an avid reader since he was very little, and he likes the interaction with the public as well.   I think Justin will miss the interaction with his customers but he plans to continue doing hair on the side.  Hopefully he won’t find the call center too stifling. 

Had a good time at The Cup last night with the NitPickers playing.  Good crowd that stayed the whole night.  They’ve got a CD release party next Saturday afternoon at The Higher Grounds and will be taping a segment of 207 next Thursday to be aired the following day.  We’ll ask Steve if he’ll play it on his TVs on Friday during our usual time at The Depot.  This Friday we have the poetry reading at A-One To Go.  I haven’t written anything new for ages though I’ve started lots of pieces.  Maybe I’ll become inspired one day this week.  If not maybe I’ll reread an older piece.  They’re probably not so memorable that anyone would notice, plus who says you can’ read the same ones over again. 

Going for dental surgery tomorrow.  Justin is coming down to spend the night and take me in as Rick and Jared are both working.  So I’ve got just two days of work this week.  I don’t think anything big is happening at the Legislature this week so that shouldn’t be a problem. 

I started working on a tea set for Karen Barrett at pottery.  I’ve thrown and embellished the tea pot but still want to do a couple of cups and possibly a sugar bowl and creamer.  I also made my first candlestick.  We’ll have to wait and see how that works out. 

December 2009 photos

Christmas Karma

The land of chun

Jenika and Justin

Rick trying to decide whether or not to keep his Yankee Swap gift

Rick chillin and playing on FB Christmas Eve

Jenika and Jared

January 1st snowstorm

Kayaks looking longingly towards the now frozen lake

Wolfie tree under full moon

Full blue moon December 2009

Flowers from my Sweetheart 12-29-09

Rice blowl I made for Jared

Pottery stock from which each guest choose one piece

Newly made pie dish