Fall

Last Island Trip For The Year...

Aaaaaaaand I'm way too lazy today to upload all the pictures! Head over to my flickr account if you want to see them. It was a wonderful week, all sunshine. The 70 mile coastal yard sale was amazing. If only we'd had the truck with us...! It was good to have the restricted car space though, or I might have gone overboard. As it was, I strapped a ceiling high bookcase and adirondack chair to the roof and we somehow stuffed a dresser into our teensy trunk. All things for our cottage, so at least we didn't have to haul it very far. Our neighbors, the Garretts, had us over for dinner again. Always nice to see them, and what a feast! A nice change from our one-pot cabin meals. The Baby cut an upper tooth while we were there. We spent tons of time at the beach because, although breezy, it is still lots warmer there than it is here. We put away all the outdoor furniture and closed up the cabin for the winter. It was incredibly nice to be there. A little escape from all the pressures back home. I love the smell, all salt and tang, and the sound of the ferry fog horn at night. The beaches were empty, (well, they are pretty much empty even in high season) and everything felt peaceful. No offense to anyone, you know I love you, but it's so refreshing to be someplace where you don't have anyone else around, no friends, no family, no commitments, we can just be together, without always having somewhere else to be, always running late, feeling stressed, or having all our time taken up with work/events/projects/etc. Living in a small town, with our entire family nearby, a little solitary confinement is kinda nice for us! Anyway, Jen and Av just got here, so I'd better run!

Notes

We are heading off to the Island in a day or two to close up the cottage for the winter, (Arrrgggg! WINTER!!! Already!?) and to do the 70 mile coastal yard sale, one of my favorite PEI events! This last weekend was spent at the fair, as you can see, by all the photos in the post before this one. Fun and exhausting, as always. Kathi, Jen and I tried to dress exactly alike on Sunday for some sneaky switcheroo action. People have always seemed to think that Kathi and I are the same person, even dressed totally differently, so it was interesting to exaggerate that. Of course the weather was too hot, too cold, and then raining in true fair fashion. I've decided to quit clogging classes, at least for the winter. I have no parking at my studio once snow flies, and we pass around every germ possible with all the hand holding, Jen, Myra and I squabble too much about each other's teaching style or lack of, and we are simply TIRED. I'll miss it, but boy, we sure do need a break. And now that I have two free nights a week, Justin and I are going to start taking Salsa and Latin lessons again. We haven't been able to find the time for years, with clogging and other commitments taking up all our week nights. Anyhow, I guess it's the letdown after several crazy-busy weeks, but I feel so dragged to death today. Too many things, too little time. The kids are doing great, all is well, but that wish-winter-wasn't-coming-so-soon-I-just-turned-31-man-am-I-tired-where-can-I-get-a-million-bucks depression is setting in. Sorry, I am always complaining in this blog. I really have nothing to whine about, only a vague sense of ick due to the anticipation of a long, cold winter, tons of heating bills, and that good ol' cabin fever. I honestly love my life and the people that I share it with, but sometimes even the happiest of us wouldn't mind being whisked off to La la Land for a little while. (La la Land...I think I get this expression from my sixth grade English teacher, I can't remember anyone else I know ever using it.) The thought of winter somehow sets in this feeling of loneliness that I can't explain. Maybe I'm just imagining it. Also, I forgot how much I miss people until last weekend, when long lost loved ones came out of the woodwork, and some didn't. Either way, it's sad because there are only so many hours in my day, and I don't seem to have the time I need to stay in touch.

So yeah, it was awesome to reconnect with old friends for a couple of days, everyone is healthy, things are running along smoothly according to, or maybe slightly behind, schedule, going on a tiny vacation, and not looking forward to the next season. That's the abbreviated version of this entry. XXOO -Me


PS. It never occurs to me, until one of you mentions it, that anyone actually wades though these posts. So please forgive my habit of basically writing to myself. I forget, sometimes, that this isn't just my little journal for vents, gripes and yadda, yadda, yadda ramblings!

More Fair

And, as usual, if you want to see all 2365542754311 fair pictures, just go to my flickr account...link in the list on the right hand side of this blog!

Fair Night

Dancing At The Fair

Thanks for taking pictures, Jim!

September Day

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

Hair

Just fooling around...

This Morning

This morning the Sun rises over layers
Of glorious hills.
Green with dabs of barn red,
Sawdust and tangerine,
Colors just beginning.
Tang of Life in the air.
There is a hawk circling over the pines,
Calling eerily, voicing change.
Miniature yellow butterflies cluster the asters,
Hover like freckles
On the golden face of the field.
And the browning fingers of ivy crawl,
Wrapping ledges with it's faded garland.
They have repaved the road,
A winding blacksnake,
Coiled along the valley,
Dozing beside the river stones
Softened by yet another season
Of water, sand and tumble.
Damp fog melting like sugar
Onto greedy, childish tongues of light.
Lapping it faster and faster
As the sun moves above the highest branches.
Here is where I am.
Let the windy, dried grasses tickle my knees,
And the almost unfamiliar whiff of chimney smoke
Twist though the trees.
To belong.
Knowing that this place owns me.
What a rush of contentment and rebellion.
A squeezing of my heart as my eyes grow wet
For no reason.
Cyclones of early fallen, crinkly leaves
Skitter restlessly as a car passes,
Settle once more, into the calm.
Into my very soul.








This is old. Years and years OLD. So old that I realized the road needs to be paved again... But it reminded me of today. Welcome to summer's end. Sad. Nice. Always feels like a sort of bittersweet limbo around here.

1st Day Of School

Mostly just a getting-to-know-things day. There are nine other children in his class, six of them are his good friends from last year, so The Kid is really looking forward to it!