Tea and Kate

Katie has recently finished a year-long yoga teaching training, and has jumped right in to teaching. She’s currently got five classes a week and is building her clientele!

 

 

Saw a young porcupine on the way home one day a couple of weeks ago. Pretty jaunty little one.

Good solid summer activities, combined into one fun weekend.

This was only the second or third time we’ve done summer track. And this year it was different. Reid really loved it. He chose to attend the Saturday track meets, as well. They were both brave at the one meet we could actually attend. Liam competed in the long jump with no training and very little assistance, and Reid ran a relay and a 400m. It was great.

Track is pretty cool, and the Orono track coaches do a great job making it easy to do. We wish we could have done more!

Our annual trip to Barville happened again. And we got to see the Hale family there, as well, which was pure delight. Here are some highlights.

Reid and Liam got right in the water when we first arrived. And were eager to take the kayak out, too. No matter that it was raining.

Reid and Zadi in a battleboard competition. Zadi was the undisputed champion, even against adults.

Reid and I went on early morning paddles all three days. They were the best part of the whole thing. I just love being out on the pond with Reid.

Saturday morning we saw a strange threesome of geese. One was clearly in subservient mode, though I know not why. Perhaps an unpaired male, or a gosling?

Saturday morning mist. Note the dragonfly on Reid’s hood.

The best shot we got of the geese.

Dew on the cobwebs on the pond.

The peaceful beauty of paddling.

And, yes. We saw a bear on the hill near the peace cabin. While we were playing capture the cabin, actually. That made it kind of scary. I was guarding the cabin so I called out to tell everyone that there was a bear near the peace cabin. That made it start a determined amble away up the hill. Once it got to the top, it changed direction and absolutely sprinted toward the shore.

That really spooked me, because one of the kids could be down there.

I kept calling out until everyone was accounted for. Less than a minute after the bear had fled, Reid and Zadi appeared at the top of the hill, precisely where the bear had just been. They hadn’t heard me, but that had heard the bear running. Phew!

Barville!

What a treasure.

So what do you do when you get an automated email from your son’s Apple ID account that asks:

Should I subscribe? “Of course!” says my dad-side. Then my other-dad-side says “Perhaps this was a mistake, dictated by cyber-idiot Siri, unknowingly sent.” Probably, we all agree. But who knows?

First we did a celebratory double round of pirate mini golf. Tons of fun.

We had coffee ice cream and cones from the grocery store. That night we camped in Acadia too, although the Perseid meteor shower was obscured by clouds. Camping was great. We all agreed that the next time we need to do multiple nights. That’ll be Barville, next weekend!

Then we went on an 8 mile bike exploration in Acadia.

And after a successful trip, we decided to tack on another hike up Acadia’s most difficult and dangerous trail. The Precipice!

Four of my high school girlfriends and I got together with our families this summer at Coeur d’Alene Lake with our families. Only once we were all there, drawing from distances as far as London, did we realize that it had been 30 years since we first knew each other. It was so nice to see them in their lovely families.