A Wild Ride

I'm in a fog. It's caused by Prednisone. Yeah--I can breathe more easily and the coughing is just about gone, but I'm really wondering if it's worth it. I'm losing my mind.

Prednisone is a double-edged sword; it can make you feel better but the side effects are crazy. I'm like a little kid with the worst case of ADHD you've ever seen. It has become nearly impossible for me to sit in one place for more than 30 seconds. Seriously. I'm on-the-go-all-the-time-always-flitting-from-one-thing-to-another. Eventually, I get a lot done but probably in about the most inefficient way possible. I'm always interrupting myself to start something else. ARGHGH! At my best, I've cleaned places in my house that I can't remember EVER cleaning, at least to this degree. The Dyson vacuum doesn't know what hit it. And I'm going through paper towels, Windex, and Pledge like Armageddon is right around the corner. And at my worst, I start pointing things out to Al that he could be doing, too! The man works full-time and he's a saint; he doesn't need to be barked at with 'suggestions' for how he could help me out with stuff.

Then there's the issue of insomnia. It's a BIG issue. I am on yet a third sleeping aid at this point, and I'm sure banking on this one having a cumulative effect; night one was the worst night yet. Woke up by 2:30 and finally crawled out of bed with my racing brain at 3:15. Seriously---breakfast at 5 (that took some doing, but I didn't relish having lunch by 7 AM)-- and as the clock hands crawl around the clock, 5:00 starts to feel "late." I have been trying to nap during the day (to keep me from walking into walls) but that's even become difficult. Prednisone has my brain on overdrive. Grrrr. . . Even when it's time for bed and I've been up for 18 hours or more, I'm whirring like a top and already making a mental list of all the things I could accomplish the next day!

Blood pressure -- mine topped out at 170/100 two weeks ago. Scared the bejeebers outa me. So the doc put me on a prescription for that -- a week later, we figured out that the pharmacy made a mistake---a big mistake---and that I'd been taking 4 times as much of the medicine as what was prescribed. Lesson learned. Check and double-check prescription dosages. Assume the worst and check to be sure they've got it right. So I check my BP about twice a day; it's much better but stress (or too much vigorous housecleaning!) can make it go up. I'm not a person who relishes just sitting in a chair for any length of time.

And the munchies! Yikes! Never smoked weed in my life but from all the movies and TV I've seen through the years, I think my "munchiness" is much like a great post-smoking-weed snacking haze. THANK GOD for the person who invented the FORTY-TWO OUNCE bag of PEANUT M & M's. If I ever find out who came up with that fabulous idea, they're going to be named in my will.

And sadly, being in such a stupor so much of the time has meant that I've had to put a very important relationship in my life 'on hold' which I'm pretty sure has been interpreted in the worst way possible. It takes every ounce of energy I have to get through the day (and night) -- I hope she understands.

Coughing is starting to sound like a pretty good alternative but the pulmonologist really encourages me to 'hang in there' on this high dosage as long as I can. He's pretty sure that if we start tapering, even just a little, my disease will exacerbate and we'll be on the Prednisone-yo-yo thang. Don't want that.

M & M's, anyone?

Ol' Eagle Eyes

Now that we have lived year-round in Maine for just over two years, I can honestly say that one of my very favorite things to do is kayaking. Our boats are small and easily maneuverable whether hoisting them atop the car or paddling quickly through the reeds. Paddling quickly? An oxymoron. The best part of kayaking is that you slow. down. The slower you go, the more you observe.

Take this morning for instance. We arrived at the put-in at Seal Cove Pond (in Acadia National Park) by 8:45. There was only one other car in the small lot -- as we pulled up to the temporary parking where we take the boats off the car, we spied an older woman at water's edge; she was wearing a wetsuit and a bright red ball cap and trying to put flippers on. She told us was going to get her morning exercise.

We slipped our kayaks into the water and floated out into the stillness. We paddled past the floating water lily leaves and some of them, below the surface, were a vivid orange. No blooms yet. We could see a loon floating off in the distance as we paddled away from it.

Our red-capped swimming buddy had worked her way out into the water and as we approached, she silently pointed overhead. An elegant, great blue heron soared above us, moving its wings in nearly slow motion. We waved to our buddy and paddled on into the morning quiet.

As we rounded the point, I scanned the treetops stealthily and sure enough, a bright spot of white appeared. I whispered to Al -- "Look! An eagle!" Admittedly, they can be hard to spot but my eyes have had lots of practice in recent weeks. A mill pond in Somesville that we drive by several times a week has become a favorite spot for bald eagles. I've trained my eye to quickly scan the trees all the while searching for the bright white head and the solid dark mass of the eagle's body. I've probably spotted an eagle there a dozen times in the last two or three weeks. These birds are huge and their bodies can be easy to pick out against the sky.

While kayaking this morning, my first spotting was a particular challenge because the sky was bright and overcast; the bird's head barely contrasted with the sky. Its massive body was quickly identifiable, though, perched at the very top of a large pine tree. We silently dragged out paddles in the dark water to slow down the boats and give us more time to watch the regal bird without disturbing it.

After a moment or two, we continued to paddle out toward the middle of the pond. This is a BIG pond -- and we love it. There is an island out in the middle that we often paddle out to and then around. About a third of the way to the island, I looked back and spotted a second eagle. This one was very easy to spot among the dark pines -- it was perched about half way up a large tree.

We continued on to the island and a beautiful loon greeted us. Its distinctive call echoed off the water and up toward the nearby mountain. It was magical. And, look! A THIRD eagle! On the island. At first, it almost looked like two eagles perched right next to each other -- we could see two groups of feathers below the branch but only one head at the top. As we slowly paddled closer, the single bird pulled its wings back in --- apparently, it was doing its best imitation of a cormorant in its wing-drying position.

We paddled out past the island rather than around it. It's our first kayaking of the summer season and we were feeling pretty good. And, sure enough, as we worked out way farther down the pond, we spotted yet another eagle. A record. We've never seen four eagles in one kayaking outing. These birds are thrilling to spot in the wild.

We'll never tire of this. Ever. As we paddled back down the pond, an eagle flew overhead and into the trees. We're pretty sure it was one of our eagle buddies asking when we'd be back. Soon.

An Incredibly Beautiful Spring

This coming weekend is the summer solstice. I didn't want spring to slip by without a big HURRAH! SPRING -- you were PHENOMENAL this year. Thank you! It occurs to me that I've experienced an incredibly long and lush spring this year.

We spent part of February in Costa Rica where vibrant, colorful flowers were EVERYWHERE. It was a lively preview of spring even though we returned to some coldish weather. Back home, we had some crazy weather with some warmer temperatures than we'd ever expect in March and April. I was lucky enough to have some work days down on the Cape and south of Boston. In early April, the 7th as I remember, I attended a workshop in Hingham, Massachusetts. Typically, in early April there would be lots of piles of filthy snow. On this particular day, I came out to my car at 3 PM and my car's thermometer read a stifling 92 degrees!! I was pretty sure that driving along on I-495 would bring the temp down rather dramatically and pretty quickly. Boy, was I wrong! For the next 45 minutes even at 60 MPH, the thermometer wouldn't dip down below 89. Whew!

As I continued to work and travel through April and early May in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, everything seemed to be blooming ahead of schedule. I love springtime---most especially all of the shades of green---lime-yellow, reddish-green, brilliant green and more. The flowering shrubs in New Hampshire were bursting forth--lilacs and forsythia alike--and daffodils trumpeted their way up out of the ground majestically.

By the second week of May, I returned home and much to my delight---SPRING! Just starting! Here in Maine --- the lilacs and forsythia were just barely starting to bud. And the lupine were already tall and proudly pushing out their spires of buds. In May? Really? Was I really going to enjoy three springtimes in one year? Yup! By the first week of June, the fields and hills of lupine were exploding with color--deep purples, magic magenta, blushing pink, shy yellow, and wonderful white. Even still, it was a full three weeks earlier than usual -- as the warm (for Maine!), sunny weather continued, the local greenhouses worked overtime to get everything ready--flats of pansies, quart-sized perennials, shiny new bushes, and lush hanging baskets that needed both strong arms to wrestle them into the car and onto the shepherd's hook by the back door. And, best of all, I discovered a gorgeous bird's nest hanging from a low branch in our yard. We're pretty sure it's a junco; there are three eggs but they haven't hatched yet!

Along with gardening in Maine comes the ever-constant vigilance to protect plantings from deer, rabbits, groundhogs, squirrels, garden snails, aphids, and the infamous, disgusting slugs. We haven't seen any deer come through our yard this spring (the local 'gang' hangs out at our neighbor's garden up the street). The adorable bunny that was in our yard frequently the last two years hasn't been spotted yet this year --- I kinda miss him. No groundhogs either -- we're lucky--it's probably because we don't grow any vegetables. And once I figured out that it was a squirrel who popped of the head of EVERY pansy in one of my windowboxes, I had no one to blame but myself; I'd left a shovel leaning up against the house. I may as well had put up a little neon sign flashing: This Way to Delicious Pansies!

But THIS is the year of the snails, aphids, and SLUGS in our gardens. I did a little research on natural (non-pesticide) deterrents and so far I think I'm winning. Aphids were covering the royal purple stalks of one of my lupine. I made up a solution of two minced garlic cloves and water. I sprayed the heck out of the little suckers -- apparently, they HATE garlic. However, a few days later, when one of my lupines with EIGHTEEN flowering spires was covered with the pale green aphids, I gave up. I enjoyed the flowers for a couple of weeks--and now it was apparently the aphids' turn.

The snails I just pick off (they're small) and squish in my begloved hands. Not sure who's winning that battle.

BUT the battle I am DEFINITELY winning is the one against the slugs. THEY LOVE BEER! And at age 57. I bought my FIRST beer ever. I picked up a few little plastic saucers and we dug small, shallow holes in the garden. We sunk each of the saucers to be even with the dirt and poured some beer into each one. Sure enough, by the next morning, there were more than 20 slugs floating in the Budweiser. Today I refilled the original three saucers and planted three more foamy beers on the opposite end of the house in the other garden. I might need to look for some teeny, tiny bar stools before long; I could probably color coordinate them with the ganzania and roses.

Gotta love spring! Three times over! Can't wait for summer . . . bring it on.

Monkeys, Toucans, and Boas! Oh, my!

First of all, let me say that I'm a slacker. I know. No posts since November. I'll try to redeem myself here.

We've just returned from. . .In February, we took an incredible vacation in Costa Rica. Spending a week with our family in the thick of the rainforest was nothing short of amazing! Here's how it went. . .

Sometime last year, in anticipation of our thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, Al and I started dreaming about a special trip we could make. On our 25th, we did an Alaskan cruise (in June); this time we knew we wanted to make a trip to a warm clime. We had been to Aruba twice and thought it might be a good time to try a new destination --- many friends have been to Costa Rica. Within 24 hours (insert Twilight Zone music here), we got an e-mail from our son, Mike, suggesting that we take an 'all-family' trip to Costa Rica to celebrate our 35th! Our son-in-law Jon had found some intriguing information about a CR resort on the Osa Peninsula called El Remanso. We booked our trip for February 2010 and started the great count-down!

As the time approached for our great adventure, we had to make sure that our inoculations and passports were all updated. Check!

My travel schedule for work had been pretty intense the last few months -- it worked out just PERFECTLY that I was home for the entire week leading up to the trip. Whew! We decided to pack as lightly as we could because we could only each carry 25 lbs of luggage on the domestic flight from San Jose (the capital of CR) to our final destination. As it turns out, we could have packed even lighter than we DID!

El Remanso offered a variety of excursions, many of which we took advantage of! Of course, MY favorite part of the whole trip was spending time with Graham (now 4) and Dean (nearly 2) --- and I offered to watch them as often as need be so that Mike and Laurelyn could enjoy some of the excursions that were not suitable for the little 'uns. It worked out just great!

El Remanso is amazing! The accommodations were simply beautiful. Three meals a day were included and we loved dining in their outdoor dining room. There was no extra charge for huge katydids on the tables or tiny lizards on the ceiling; the boys never knew what we'd see at mealtime. Set in the jungle we were about as close to nature as you can be! When we arrived, we could hear what sounded like packs of loud, barking, howling dogs off in the distance. We quickly learned that these were the howler monkeys! We heard them every morning at about 4 AM -- what an incredible alarm clock.

We hiked all together to a lagoon during our first day---the rainforest was SO dense -- and the hike down to the beach was pretty steep. We weren't prepared for how HOT the sand would feel on our feet. Ouch! We walked the beach in the puddles formed by the lapping waves. The waves were HUGE and STRONG so we kept our distance but the cool, wet sand was the only way to safely make it down to the lagoon. The sun so close to the Equator is intense!

Al and I were able to do some early (5:30 AM!) morning bird-watching with the resident naturalist, Gerardo. To say that Gerardo was an AMAZING part of our trip is such an understatement -- not only was he incredibly endearing and gracious, but he was also one of the most knowledgeable people we've EVER met when it came to all things to do with animals, plants, and trees! Just fabulous! On our first morning out to look for birds, Gerardo hung his head out the jeep's window (we had a different person as the driver) looking for motion in the treetops. "Stop! Stop!" he told the driver. We climbed out of the jeep and were thrilled by a large group of monkeys who came closer and closer to the dirt road we were on, all the while squealing. Within minutes, they began a "conga line" as they swung, one at a time, right over our heads! It was amazing and Gerardo assured us that this NEVER, well . . . rarely, happens; we had brought good luck with us!

I watched Graham and Dean one afternoon so that Jon, Beth, Al, Mike, and Laurelyn could go waterfall rapelling - from all reports they had a SUPER time! And of course they got to cool off in the ocean before heading back to the resort.

We visited a wildlife sanctuary via boat. On our way there, we were thoroughly entertained by a large pod (?) of dolphins who especially enjoyed swimming in the wake of our boat. Can you see them? Each of the colorful animals had a story of abuse and survival. The couple who runs the sanctuary told us of some successful releases but some of the animals would be living out their lives there. It was a beautiful, densely forested spot. As we walked between enclosures, Beth spotted a superhighway of fire ants that frequently criss-crossed the walking path.

On our way back from the sanctuary, our boat driver made a special stop in an inlet that had some great snorkeling opportunities. Having already had the snorkeling experience in Aruba and Hawaii, I offered to stay on the boat with Graham and Dean, and encouraged the others to snorkel. Neither Mike, Beth, Laurelyn nor Jon had ever snorkeled. Al joined them and they had a great time and got a few good shots of colorful fish.

Since we just loved our first early morning birding excursion, we signed on again and brought Mike along with us this time. Well, apparently we brought along good luck once again (maybe everyone does??) and this time we saw monkeys overhead including this beautiful mama with her baby clinging to her back. What a blessing to see them up close!

I decided some time ago (maybe 10 years ago?) that I definitely want to skid into Heaven with a resounding, WOW! What a ride! So I've been known to do what some might consider daring things --- including (a little bit of) white-water rafting, (tethered) hot air ballooning, lots of kayaking, and parasailing (fabulous!!) in Aruba. I wanted to be sure I could add something with a bit of a thrill to my life list. So, in Costa Rica, we had the opportunity to zipline out to a platform near the top of the canopy to watch the monkeys, birds, etc. It was a very early morning activity (6 AM) and I felt a bit jittery as the time approached. Luckily, our dear daughter-in-law Laurelyn was coming along with us (Mike was on kid and camera duty) and she encouraged me to go for it. "You'll be fine! You'll love it!" she nudged.

As we donned our helmets and awaited our harnesses, I got a bit more excited. Gerardo, once again the incredibly sweet and knowledgeable naturalist, got hooked into the cable and zipped out over the jungle below. He then pulled across a huge duffle bag with coffee, fresh fruit, numerous binoculars, and field guides. One at a time, well-harnessed and "clipped in," we zipped across to the wooden platform set into a crotch of a large tree. See all of our harness caribiners lined up on the cable? We were at 127 feet above the jungle floor. Amazing! Gerardo pointed out lots of birds and with his keen eye, spotted a group of Howler monkeys up in the trees across from us. We watched them for quite a while and after some coffee and fresh pineapple, we got ready to head back across the zipline.

Of course, I had to ask Gerardo how long the platform had been there, how it was erected, etc. He told us that it had been there about 6 months and that they'd had several engineers come in to design the structure and its installation. It reassured me especially when I noticed the many huge bolts that secured the platform into the tree. Another young couple was with us that morning (having left their three young children back in the States) and they also hoped to capture the zipline return on their movie camera. As we lined up to zip back, the young mom said she'd like to go first so she could film her husband's return trip (he planned to pull himself across the last half of the trip!). We watched her fly through the treetops and when she was about half-way across, we heard a loud CRACK! I know that sound, I thought to myself. A tree branch somewhere had split and was falling to the jungle floor. Wait a minute! That sounded AWFULLY close, like it's from the. tree. we're. in. Gerardo queried, "OK! Who's next??" "I AM!!" shouted the young father and we all laughed (a combination of fear and nerves). Apparently chivalry is dead. What a ride!

All in all, the trip was a huge success and a wonderful celebration. For me, the best part was having all of our family together -- I would have been quite happy to just play with Graham and Dean all week...anywhere! But being in this idyllic setting with those we love most, was a dream come true. Can our 40th anniversary be too far off? I wonder where we'll all go. . .

Once, Twice, Three Times a Blog Post. . .

There's just no excuse for it. I've started a new entry a couple of times since the last one, and today is THE day that I'll try, try again and actually POST something. It's been a wild fall. Here's what's up (and if I get to it, I'll add some pics later):

1. We attended a wedding on Halloween in Portland, Maine. We met Mike, Laurelyn, Graham, and Dean there and we all went to the wedding IN COSTUME! It was great fun to see some old friends from New Hampshire and of course, any time we can spend ANY time with our grandsons is a BONUS! They greeted us with a pile of books----G'ma IS the reading machine!

2. I have a new job! It's a half-time salaried position where I'm conducting training for teachers throughout the Northeast (so far). It requires being on the road about 2 weeks out of each month except for July and the last two weeks of December when we're basically shut down. I continue to do a little bit of my own private consulting and the two jobs have combined to make for a 3-1/2 week trip that starts tomorrow! Luckily, Thanksgiving break falls in the middle of this trip; Al will meet me and we will celebrate Thanksgiving with our good, good friends.

3. Had the flu. Ugh. The doc is pretty sure that it was H1N1; I'd had the seasonal flu vaccine in September. Anyway, it was THE PITS. I can't remember being in bed for so long (except for when I had that nasty herniated disc). The worst part was the incessant coughing which is now under control and nearly gone. Turns out I was using my inhalers correctly -- who knew that the directions on the flyer in the box are WRONG??

4. Feeling more and more like home all the time. Maybe it has to do with my traveling, or with the days getting shorter, or because we've had an INCREDIBLE fall of GORGEOUS weather, but I've fallen in love with our house. It could also have something to do with the 15 or so spruce trees we had taken down around the house. We have SO much more sunlight streaming into the house now, and we can even enjoy the late afternoon sun now. It's made a huge difference.

5. I've learned to say no...well at least some of the time. I've delicately pulled back from a very big church commitment which was hard to live out what with my boosted travel schedule. It's actually be quite a relief.

That's all for now, I think. Perhaps I'll get inspired while on this upcoming business trip. In the meantime, stay healthy and enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with those you love.

Grandma, Grandma!

Last weekend, after my second business trip in several weeks, I had a little bit of heaven in Lake George, NY. Actually....a BIG piece of heaven --- a whole day of 'Grandma duty!'

Mike and Laurelyn had been invited to a wedding but children weren't to be included so I eagerly volunteered to help them out. As it turned out, I was going to be working just two hours south of Lake George so a quick trip north would be a breeze. In fact, I beat them to the hotel on Friday evening. When they arrived at about 10 PM, the boys were both wide awake; apparently, there had been little sleeping and lots of "Mama! Mama!" (see my previous entry) on the way in from Corning. We all fell asleep quickly once they settled into bed in our hotel room.

7:30 AM came soon enough and I offered to take the boys over to the little restaurant to get them settled for breakfast. They were excited! It was a beautiful day and we could already anticipate a day of adventures. We settled into our seats and peeked at the children's menu while we waited for Mike and Laurelyn to join us. I read the choices to Graham (Dean will eat anything put in front of him) and he excitedly announced his choice: he'd have the silver dollar pancakes. Yummy! I pointed out the handy-dandy syrup dispenser; it reminded me of one we'd had when I was a kid.

Papa and Mama joined us in short order and I wanted to crawl under the table as Mike quietly reminded Graham (and me) that he can't have restaurant pancakes; they have wheat in them. I felt terrible. I looked at G and said, "I'm so sorry, Graham. I forgot." Mike quietly reassured me and encouraged G to pick from several other things on the menu. I'd never seen Graham well up with tears. He bit his bottom lip and his little cheeks got red as he held back the tears --- how could I have forgotten? Eggs and bacon it will be!

After breakfast, I asked the boys if they'd like to go for a walk to explore the village and shorefront. First, we all wandered down to the lake, just behind the hotel and restaurant. It was calm and lovely. And a huge lake indeed! We were staying in Lake George Village at the south end of the 32-mile long lake.

After an engineering lesson about how to open, and more importantly, how to CLOSE the super-high-tech stroller (have they gotten more complicated or have I just gotten a bit weak?), we strapped Dean into the stroller, and I was off with the two little guys for a morning walk. We knew there was a park nearby and that there was a walkway along the edge of the lake, but everything else would be a surprise!

Graham held on to the side of the stroller as he strolled along and kept leaning in to Dean every 15-20 paces with "Are you O.K., Dean? Doin' O.K?" A few times, his query was followed by a gentle kiss on Dean's forehead. Just too darned cute for words. And so genuine. Gotta love that kind of brotherly love! (Yeah, I know...they're not always that way. I'm not delusional!)


We passed by several steamboats and headed toward a large paddleboat that was coughing out HUGE plumes of steam. Made me think of "Little Toot"---one of my favorite books as a young child. Several of the large boats were offering 60 to 90 minute rides on the lake. I checked out the schedule and eagerly asked the boys if they'd like to go on a boat ride later. Yes! Yes! (Well, that was G's response; Dean will go along with just about anything!) After a few more minutes of strolling, we found a little bench, where we sat and called Grandpa on my cellphone; G spoke to him briefly but wanted to keep on moving. Bye, Grandpa! I love you!

We discovered a small playground right next to the lakeside and both boys were eager to try it out. It's always fun to explore new playgrounds; Graham lost no time climbing to the upper level and zipping down the slide. Dean followed him but needed a hand to come down the slide. Graham scoped out the fireman's pole on the opposite side, climbed back up to the landing, and asked me to help him down the fireman's pole. It only took two tries with Grandma holding on, and he was on his own! He quickly learned that if he leaned into the pole and swung his leg around it, he could spin coming down the pole. He was so proud of himself. Dean and I kept working with the slide and we all had a ball.

Shortly thereafter we were to meet Mama and Papa back at the hotel room so that Dean could catch his morning nap. After such a late night and early morning, we knew that a nap would be a requirement for Dean. G gave up napping long ago, so once D toddled off with Mama for a nap, G scrambled quickly into the stroller for a little one-on-one time with Grandma! We took a different route down to the water's edge and as soon as G spotted the playground again, he was delighted! He climbed up and slid down the fireman's pole over and over and then announced triumphantly as he settled back into the almost-too-small-stroller, "We're off for another adventure, Grandma! I'm ready to SEE THE WORLD!"

This time we checked out some of the vendor booths (it was the weekend of the Adirondack Hot Air Balloon Festival--big doings!) and strolled by the storefronts on Canada Street. We spotted a Mexican restaurant where we decided we'd go for lunch---tacos have NO wheat - whew! After puttering around a bit more, G and I headed back to the hotel to collect Dean for lunch.

We cut it a little close, arriving (after tacos and homemade nacho chips---yummmmy!) at the boat dock just moments before the scheduled departure. There were only a few people on the boat. We parked the stroller out of the way, and I took the two boys out on deck. The captain narrated as we passed by some of the most amazing mansions I'd ever seen---just beautiful! Mike and Laurelyn would be attending the wedding reception later in the afternoon at one of those mansions; I wondered which one. We could spot a sailboat race up the lake off in the distance. Once it got too cold to be out in the open air, we maneuvered our way back into the enclosed dining room area where there was plenty of room for the boys to run back and forth from one side of the boat to the other. Dean has gotten tall enough that he was able to peer out through the bottom of the plexiglass window to spot passing powerboats and a few majestic sailboats. What a great time we had!

We returned to the dock and decided to head back to the hotel to get ready for the Balloon Festival! More than 90 balloons would take off at 5:30 and we wanted front row seats. The festival was being held at a small airfield in Glens Falls, only about 7 miles from the hotel. We packed up extra clothes and snacks (actually, Laurelyn packed them up before they left for the wedding), and hopped into the car. Off we went! Rather than taking the highway, I decided to follow the signs and head to Glens Falls the "back way." About a mile down the road, Graham had already asked me 2 or 3 times, "When will we be there, Grandma?" I grinned and told him not too much longer. Another half-mile. "Are we almost there, Grandma?" I reassured him that we were getting closer. It was just about 3:30. The traffic started to thicken and no one pulled off to get on the highway. Great minds think alike, I realize. It won't be long now, I call out to Graham.

Dean starts giggling. I check in the rearview mirror. He's giggling about nothing. And then he giggles at his own giggling. Louder and louder. Before long, the little guy is laughing so hysterically that he erupts into hiccups! Graham and I can't help but laugh along. Sure enough, after a few minutes of all-car-giggling, G calls out, "How much longer, Grandma? Are we there yet? How much farther?"

My giggling stops rather abruptly as I look ahead and all I can see as far as a mile or more ahead of us is a single line of cars. Lots of red lights. I grit my teeth. "Well, Graham, there's a lot of traffic. Everyone is going to the balloon festival. We'll be there in a bit!"

The traffic snarl continued for ninety minutes. That's 9 x 10. Ironically, it's the same number of balloons that are scheduled to take off at 5:30. At one point, when three lanes of traffic are attempting to dosey-do into one line, I hear a woman's loud voice. I push the button to roll down G's window so that I can hear her. "Oh! It's not you, lady! You're FINE! It's that idiot in front of me who just cut me off!" She continues screaming on the top of her lungs, at the Marine (he has a decal on the back window of his car) in the car in front of her. She doesn't hold back, and I quickly put G's window back up, and start a 'let's look through the trees for the balloons' distraction. Her voice can still be heard. I turn up the radio a bit. "Are we almost there, Grandma?" Grrrr...

Finally, it's about 5:20 and we round the last turn and approach the gate to the airfield! Hurrah! I point out the flashing blue lights ahead and G cranes his neck to see the policeman directing traffic. He's right ahead of us! Finally! I imagine myself announcing, "We're IN, boys!" and immediately notice the cars approaching from the other direction aren't being directed into the airfield at all. They're rolling straight by us. I roll down my window in time to hear the policeman call out, "It's cancelled! Too much wind! Keep going, please!"

Well, I won't include here what went through my mind at that moment, but it wasn't pretty. Graham asks in a rather subdued voice, "What happened, Grandma?" The pressure is on. How to explain this unexpected change of plans to this little guy. . .Remember: Dean is somewhat oblivious--he's 19 months old!

It's too windy, buddy. They can't put the balloons up because they could catch fire in the wind. We certainly don't want anyone to get hurt, do we?

No, we don't, he answers in a breathy voice. And then looking ahead, at the now-open-road, he asks, Where will we eat dinner? And we'll still get to see the fireworks back at the hotel, right?

I was stunned. What an amazing little man. We brushed ourselves off and headed away from the airfield to scope out restaurants back in the village.

We had dinner at what turned out to be a very popular watering hole. There would be an hour wait unless we were willing to eat in the bar. No problem! (At this point, I would have eaten in the car!) And off we headed to the darkened bar --- the boys tore through a half rack of ribs and a healthy serving from the salad bar. I had a yummy crab cake and a delicious salad.

We arrived back at the hotel at about 7:00, just in time for the opening scenes of "Finding Nemo" --- gotta LOVE the Disney channel. Coincidentally, G had watched the same movie with me back in Maine earlier in the summer. Let's watch the movie, Graham suggests and we all pile onto the queen bed. Within moments, G is mesmerized.





Dean, always the comedian, starts mugging with me. Before long, he's doing gymnastics on the bed and laughing as only he can do!

About an hour into the movie, we heard a huge BOOM! Yup, the fireworks had started. We quickly put on our shoes and ran out to the 300' stretch of lakefront to watch the beautiful display. Another hotel guest quickly grabbed us two chairs (how kind!) and we sat down and gazed upward. Dean stayed on my lap and after a few moments, must have remembered the Bar Harbor fireworks on the 4th of July; he relaxed and enjoyed the fireworks.


After about 15 minutes, there was a wonderful finale and we headed back to try to catch the very end of Finding Nemo.
"Hey, Grandma! The bed is wet!" noticed Graham. "And so is your shirt." Sure enough, in all of the excitement, Dean had sprung a leak --- Bad Grandma! Bad Grandma!

It was time for jammies. Both boys fell asleep within minutes. No fuss, no muss! What a treat! I turned the TV off, nestled in next to them, dozed off, and the next thing I knew it was after 11 PM and Mike and Laurelyn came into the room. They'd had a great time at the wedding and reception.

What a great adventure we had at Lake George Village! Sure hope Mike and Laurelyn have more weddings or other special events to go to---I love to travel and will sign on for ANY amount of "Grandma Time!" And rumor has it that Mike and Laurelyn enjoy occasional non-kid time, too.

Little Men, Limbo, and My Favorite Time of Year

I'm back. H.O.M.E. and here, too. For those of you who actually take the time to read this blog, sorry I've been gone so long. Much has happened. . .

I've been working like mad. Away from home for weeks and weeks. Apparently, the stock market had different ideas than we did when it came to the "when" of retirement. And there's more of that business travel to come. It's all good---except the time away from Al.

Thank goodness for SKYPE -- it's how Al and I can remember what we each looks like while I'm on the road. I won't stay at a hotel that doesn't have wi-fi; most do now. Although I recently learned that the basement rooms (yikes!) at the Four Points Sheraton in Revere don't really get wi-fi. But the hotel redeemed itself when the desk clerk came down to my room an hour after I checked in to tell me that my car's interior lights were on AND that I should probably (!) hide my GPS unless I wanted to find a big hole in my windshield in the morning. Nice hospitable touch, eh?

However, I was VERY clever and arranged a WEEK-LONG visit with our son, Mike, daughter-in-law, Laurelyn, and the two little tykes in my life, Graham (nearly 4!) and Dean (18 months) right after an extended work schedule. After several weeks of hotel living and driving, driving, driving, more hotel living and more driving...not to mention all those dinner meals by myself, a week in Corning was JUST what I needed! More about that in a bit . . .

So, it's my favorite time of year --- I absolutely CRAVE the cool, crisp air of fall --- yeah, I know it isn't technically fall yet, but tell that to the rusting grasses in the Bass Harbor Marsh and to the early red-orange maples that dare to turn early. The crickets have been chirping for a couple of weeks now --- that sound always takes me back to the early September that we moved to Merrimack (from Connecticut) -- we camped in the living room in sleeping bags and there was one single house-warming cricket who sang to us all night.

At the same time that I revel in fall, we're in a state of limbo here --- kinda. Our GP started the wheels rolling three weeks ago now for a second opinion consult at Dana Farber. There were just too many unanswered questions after so many tests and several findings of concern. In the meantime, we've moved on with our busy fall schedule (work, work, and more work!) but are eager to get that phone call from Boston with an appointment or maybe just a second opinion after they've reviewed all of my test results from here. It'll be great to have the real experts weigh in.

I've just realized, however, that I didn't really think much about my health at all while in Corning with Graham and Dean, Inc. No time to worry; we were having WAY too much fun!

Dean has become quite a little comedian --- he's a riot! He knows when he's being a rascal---complete with the twinkle in his eye and the wide-open smile...and OH, those dimples! He rides a variety of wheeled toys now---and the worn toes of his shoes are proof enough. His little feet go a million miles an hour--a 21st Century Fred Flintstone on a country driveway in New York.

This was the visit where all-things-books really *clicked* for Dean --- Grandma is a reading machine! He brought me book after book and crawled up into my lap even if Graham got to me first. Dean loves to point to each thing on the page --- "Where's the truck, Dean?" *points to truck* --- "Where's the horse, Dean?" *points to horse and makes a SUPER horse noise!* "Where's the cow, Dean?" *points to cow and makes a SUPER horse noise* "Where's the goose?" *points to goose and makes a SUPER horse noise* --- OK, you get the idea. By the end of the week though, he was pretty good with the "Mooooooooooo!" (for the cow).

Dean continues to nod enthusiastically (to indicate yes) and shake his head emphatically (usually accompanied by waving of hands) to indicate no! His favorite word is Mama! And if you don't respond he'll just say it louder---MAMA! and louder still MAMA until someone responds. With that one all-purpose word, he can express just about anything including:
1. Where IS Mama and why in the world are YOU here?
2. Where IS Mama and when will she be back?
3. Look at this!
4. I want something to eat!
5. Look at this and where IS Mama?
6. I want something to eat and where IS Mama?
After a week, I could nearly translate each utterance accurately. But my real (and favorite) accomplishment was successfully rocking Dean to sleep twice. It was simply blissful!


Big Brother Graham is now a pre-schooler. He couldn't have been more excited on Wednesday morning, all duded up for his first day of school. I mean really...have you ever SEEN such a big smile on a 3-year old? And he couldn't get to Mom's car quick enough when it was time to go to school. True to form, we played 20-questions when he got home; he only answered a couple: he played with trucks and the blocks were all different colors.

Graham and I played a couple games of Candyland during the week. But my favorite was teaching him to play Go Fish! He has the same version of it (fish-shaped cards, colors only, no suits) that his papa had as a kid. He didn't quite get the hang of don't-show-your-opponent-your-cards, but surely loved saying "Go Fish, Grandma!" every time he didn't have what I asked for. It was precious.

One of G's favorite activities is to "ride bikes" in the newly-paved driveway. He has quite a fleet -- a two-wheeler with training wheels (his favorite -- it's fast!), a John Deere tractor (he loves to collect the grass that Mama's cut with the big riding mower), a couple of nearly-retired tricycles, and a scooter.

G continues his fascination with books, books, books much to my delight. He won't go anywhere in the car without a big fat pile of books on his lap. He diligently "reads" page by page and now subvocalizes as he examines each and every page. He won't read aloud in the car but now loves making connections to other books and real-life experiences when being read to. And predictions come readily now too---such fun!

Oh, there's so much more to tell --- Play-Doh, open-air train ride, Animaland (yikes!), the swingset, our campfire, etc., etc., but suffice it to say, for now, these little men light up my life!