My oldest nephew and I have been having a great time. Today he got me to boogie board... which I had not really done before... he got a pretty good laugh out of seeing the waves completely crash over me... Here are some pictures of our adventures. I love getting to spend time with him... oh... the picture of us with glasses... that's from attending the 3D version of Harry Potter... only the first few minutes are in 3D... disappointing, but good time with Ben anyway... 
Time with my nephews is always precious... This week I have my oldest nephew for his annual trip to Auntee's... great day... 
He is an amazing kid....
I am back from another camping trip to see my Dad. I got up there Wednesday and an just settling back in at home. It was a good visit... the weather was actually much better than other visits this summer. I got there later on Wednesday than I expected...due to the world's longest oil change. Dad was worried and called me as I was en route to make sure I Was okay... I was sorry to worry him, but it is always nice for someone to care about you like that... That evening I hung out with Ralph... a bull moose who came out to the river as I was paddling by and spent a long time grazing there. 
Ralph and I had some nice bonding time. He kept looking at me and I talked with him, thanking him for coming to say hello, stroking his ego by complimenting his beauty, and assured him I was friend not foe... I also asked him to have a second dinner date with me, the following night, so that Sara and Phil could meet him. (Sara and Phil came up on Thursday and left Saturday... it was great to have them up there.)
Thursday morning I got up and it was a beautiful day. I decided to go for a walk, unsure if Sara and Phil would have already exercised when they arrived... and didn't want to wait for them, in case they had already worked out. 
I walked about two miles, following part of the Appalachian Trail. It was beautiful. Then I went kayaking and, through telepathy, reminded Ralph that we had a standing dinner date... Sara and Phil got to the campground in the afternoon and got settled in pretty quickly. 
They had not exercised yet and were anxious to do so. So Sara ran while Phil and I walked... we followed the same trail I had earlier in the day, but went further. Sara ran over 5 miles and Phil and I walked about 4... it was nice. I twisted my right ankle and it hurt my right knee than my ankle... and I was worried about how it would feel the next day. Fortunately it was fine.
Sara, Phil, Dad, and I had black bean burgers for dinner and as we were finishing up, I spotted Ralph. He was closer to the campground than he usually comes and I think he was telling me I was more than fashionably late... so Sara, Phil, and I got in the kayaks and headed up the river... Just to let me know that I was late, Ralph disappeared into the woods just as we approached... but.. then he forgave me and came out. 
He even posed for some pictures. Thanks Ralph! 
After hanging with Ralph, we conitnued up the river. We spotted a baby bald eagle... and it was not a small baby! 
We watched it for a while and it flew away. Phil then did some fishing and Sara and I paddled further up the river. It was a good day.
Friday was rainy... so Dad took us all for an adventure. We drove, in his new truck, into the state park and did a short hike. We walked about a mile into a small pond. And while we didn't see any critters besides ducks... it was an adventure. We returned to the campground and played games inside the camper. Dad was tough, he sat outside under the awning. He seemed sad to me that day. I think the days that have better weather are easier for him... he can stay busier. The rain stopped later in the day and we had dinner outside. (Supper as it is called up north!)
Saturday Sara and Phil hit the road pretty early and not long after I headed out for a walk... On my way out of the campground I stopped and spoke to a woman who stays there. She and Dad have built a bit of a friendship... she lost her husband about two years ago, and she recently had cataract surgery, which Dad will have soon. I had not met her but has heard Dad mention her so I introduced myself. She hugged me and asked me how I was doing... with that caring, maternal intonation, and without warning, my eyes began leaking... damn it... but I quickly brought myself out of it and headed down the trail... and went about 4 miles.
I was going ot go further but after my delayed start due to talking I wanted to get back in a decent amount of time so Dad wouldn't worry. It was a beautiful walk. 
The day had been a bit breezy early on, but as the day progressed the wind died down and the sky cleared. It was amazing. It felt good...familiar...
The campfire that night was great, the stars were brilliant... wish that my camera could capture them... we watched the space station fly by us... and there was a lot of laughter around the campfire... it was nice to hear my dad laugh, really laugh.... I am glad he is up there... 
This morning I got up, went for a brief kayak ride and then visited with people at the campground. Dad and I had lunch together and then I hit the road. It was a great long weekend. I find that I enjoy being there with dad, and doing things that make me feel like I am taking care of him... like cooking him breakfast,etc. I think he enjoys it too.... life has changed... and it was very hard to leave him today... but... we also enjoyed the weekend... maybe we are healing...
The format of this post is kind of funky... sorry about that... not sure why that happened. Oh well...
Well Sunday was better than I had anticipated.... my mother's sister was scheduled to get her things out of the house... and although she and her family showed up after 11:00 when they were supposed to be there around 9:30... they took what they wanted and left... I had a lot of anxiety about it... seeing my aunt... there has been some drama since mom died and it is likely that seeing them Sunday may be our last contact. I got up there Saturday night spent the evening seeing some high school friends... When I got up Sunday morning, Dad was already up. He hadn't slept well Saturday night, anxious about what, if any, drama would unfold on Sunday. As the morning passed without my aunt's arrival, Dad got more aggitated. The house is a duplex, my parents lived in one half, my grandmother in the other... My aunt's stuff has been kept in my grandmother's side... So when they got to the house, Dad remained in his side of the house.(The whole house is his, but...just to try to explain things better...) I greeted them from the door of my grandmother's apartment and told them that Dad and I were planning on staying in the other side of the house to stay out of their way while they take what they want. I said that if they needed any help to let me know. Dad and I sat in the living room....he worked on soduku puzzles and i was playing around on my computer... I could tell Dad was getting more and more aggitated and I told him he should mow the lawn. He hesitated, not wanting to leave me alone... I assured him I was okay and that if any drama started I would come get him... (or jut kick some ass and let him bail me out of jail!) My aunt did her thing and asked me a couple of questions... Dad and I were surprised to see that she didn't take a lot of the furniture she had claimed she wanted. Oh well... we will get rid of it this fall. After she got what she wanted, she hugged me, crying... I feel bad that she is upset and I am sure it was emotional for her going through my grandmother's things... a process mom had to do after Gramie died almost two years ago... (Am I bitter that mom had to do that alone? Yes. My aunt should have been there.) Plus with recent issues, I am sure she was thinking that this may be the last time she would be in the house and maybe the last time she would see me and Dad... But... it's behind us... one more thing done that we had been dreading.
On my drive back Sunday I was exhausted. My body was completely wiped out. I think I had been more anxious than I had anticipated... and having it behind us made my body relax...
Anyway...
I am getting ready to head north, to go camping for a few days. Sara and Phil are coming too and it should be a good time. Then, when I get back... I will have my oldest nephew with me for a few days! Yahoooooooooo! Our annual Summer at Auntee's house visit!!! I can't wait.
I will behave... I will behave... I will not yell... I will not yell... I will fight any violent urges that arise..... I will behave..... I will not yell..... ohhhhmmmmmmmm.....
Heading up to my dad's house tomorrow, to be there Sunday...when my mother's sister gets her stuff out of my parents' house... there has been some tension there... and I am feeling VERY protective of my dad and of myself... and will not allow us to be mistreated on Sunday...
Inhale..... exhale.... inhale.... exhale.....
Wish me luck!
Yesterday was another beautiful day! Temps were in the 70s and it was gorgeous! Next week Sara and Phil are coming camping with me. I am very excited about the trip. One negative about the trip is that Sara will be out of town when there is a road race on Peaks Island. (A small island off the coast of Portland Maine.) She was kind of bummed about it...so I suggested that we go to Peaks beforehand, so she would get a chance to run it. Yesterday was that day. (Phil had to work and we missed him.) So Sara, my bike, and I took the 9:15 ferry out to the island. 
The ride out was beautiful, very warm and clear. We got out to the island and got started. We were not exactly sure of our route, but decided we would figure it out along the way. Sara was running and I rode my bike. We took a couple of wrong turns, but as it turned out it was good, it enabled Sara to get in the mileage she wanted. I planned to stay with Sara as she ran, but at times one of us was ahead of the other. I stopped to take some pics along the way. 
Not long after our start we were faced with a pretty steep hill... I was intimidated, I admit it. I also admit that I contemplated just walking up it... but Sara started running up it and I figured, if she could run it, I could bike it... and I did... I was tired at the top, but... proud of myself too. It was a great place to exercise, and keeps me feeling motivated. Not only am I exercising, but I am exploring. I love that! I have been to this island before, once for a reggae fest and once to walk around it. 
I had recalled that there was one part of the shore where people build these rock sculpture thingys... they are fascinating to me. Some of them are simplistic while others have a lot of detail. I can't wait to bring my oldest nephew there and try to build our own sculpture. Towards the back of the island, more than halfway into our journey, we found another gradual hill with corners... it was a challenge at that point, but good for both of us. After we got back to our starting point we decided to keep going, to get enough mileage. 
We ended up at one point of the island that in addition to a beautiful view, there was a honey stand. My favorite part about the honey stand, and the reason I bought some honey, was that nobody was working at the stand. There was simply a bucket...with money in it, along with a rock to keep the money from blowing out. I told Sara that the bucket, with money, made my heart smile... that people can still count on the honor system... and to the right thing. 
After the honey stand, we returned again, to the starting point, each paying 15 cents for a lemonade at a lemonade stand run by two very young entrepreneurs. Then we wandered through a shop there. (The same honey was for sale at the shop, but was more expensive... so I got a great deal! And for the record, the honey is delicious!)
This workout was good for our bodies AND our minds. After having a lot of exercise on Wednesday, I was looking for a simple workout yesterday and thought Peaks Island would be it, but it was hillier and longer than I anticipated. We ended up going over 7 miles. But I felt good afterwards. When we returned from the island we met up with Phil for lunch at one of our favorite spots. It's so nice to spend time with my friends, and I know it's redundant, but having my friends being active too...makes a HUGE difference... I love it! Today the three of us met again, for more exercise... we all biked. I did just over 12 miles! I feel really good about what I am doing... but I do realize that my exercise is taking priority over other things... which is good and bad... mostly good... for example, I got called to work tonight, but I said I couldn't work because I had an appointment... my appointment is Zumba... getting healthy right now is more important to me than making some money... I guess that's good... But my social calendar is also built around my activities... but... so far so good. I like changing it up a little... but still having some things in my routine I can count on... Gotta go... almost time for Zumba!
Ok... so I got to Zumba class tonight and shared my jumping/skipping goal with Debbie... told her I practiced today and she said she would be watching tonight to see how I did...
The first few times that the songs require jumping, they are fairly easy, single jumps followed by some hip shaking... that was ok.. I did that... and found myself hopping instead of bouncing in a couple places and felt pretty good about that... then came the song where we skip forward and skip back... I was so excited... and maybe a little overzealous... and the first round... well... my mind and body did not communicate well.. I think I looked like a giant in a cartoon, who was tip toeing through the smurf village in slow motion...with a slow motion eye widening expression going on too... and Debbie laughed at me... and I laughed at myself... but I didn't give up....the next time the skipping part came, I skipped... granted I missed the rhythm, but I did it... but by the end of the song, I skipped up and skipped back to the beat... Yahooooooooo! I did it! We'll see how my body feels tomorrow after such a full day of activities... I am planning a short bike ride (about 5 miles) and that's it for exercise tomorrow! 
I was very happy to spend some time with my friend, Meg, this morning. She was in town doing an errand for her job and we had planned to hit the gym together then have breakfast together. She picked me up around 7:45 ish... we got to the gym and she did her thing and I did mine. I was determined to jump today... and I took my jump rope with me. I warmed up on the bike and then found a semi private area to jump rope, or at least try... so I did okay on two feet. I like the rhythm of jumping rope. It is tiring... way more tiring than I remember...way more... but I did get up some courage and managed to hop on one foot a few times...each leg, and I skipped...not fast, but I did... not wanting to overdo it on my first jump day... I moved on to other exercises. I did the exercises from physical therapy, for my knee... wanting to make sure I keep those muscles/get those muscles strong. Then I did some weight training for my arms, did some ab work and also did some back extensions... in all, we were at the gym for over an hour... and I was tired, but felt good... and even showed Meg my hopping skills... not graceful, but it's a start. I will try skipping at Zumba tonight....try being the key word... After our gym adventure and having breakfast, Sara called. She and Phil were on their way to walk Back Cove... and invited me to go with them. Meg had to get back to her town to go to work... so I had her drop me off at Back Cove and met up with Sara and Phil. Sara ran and Phil and I walked. We did 3.5 miles in an hour... not a bad pace.
I am sure I will be a little tired at Zumba tonight, but I am excited to go... I know that's a lot in one day, but... I will take it easy tomorrow.
I will let you know how the skipping at Zumba goes.... fingers crossed!
Ahhh... a GREAT summer day in Maine! I started my day by going to a Zumba class... one that I disliked... a different instructor and I think she needs to add some other moves.. it was too repetitive and boring... oh well... then I met up with some friends and we went kayaking... here are some pics...
This is a tiny painted turtle that let me pick him up off a log for some reason.... but I think he had second thoughts... he hissed at me... not kidding! So cute! 
We went through an enormous culvert to get to this part of our exploration... pretty gorge type area... 
Aww... my best friends... a.k.a. Sara and Phil.... a.k.a. my sistah and my big brother! 
The kayak posse... heading home....
Me... kayaking... someone else had a camera too... sometimes that isn't a good thing... but I like this one... 
Just a tree branch in the water... 
Amy holding the turtle.... Cute! (The turtle is cute too!) 
This little blue dragonfly landed on my leg several times... I guess my scar isn't so scary after all... 
This is my friend Joleen... yes... it was as peaceful as it looks... 
It was a wonderful day... and one of my favorite parts... Phil posted on his facebook status that he spent the day kayaking with his family... awwww... big brother Phil... so sweet... THIS is what summer in Maine is supposed to look like!
