A Field Trip

For those of you expecting a post from my father, please rest assured that Derf will be sharing on "Mainely Tracy" tomorrow!

We decided to postpone Derf because Dad, Lew, and I went on an outing today.  Dad had arranged for the three of us to go see my cousin Robert at the Maine State Prison (MSP).

Most people reading this already know that Robert gets to go home at night!  He works there and is the head honcho of that facility's popular Prison Industries Program.

Robert gave us a tour of the wing where the program takes place.  At MSP they do upholstery and engraving, but the largest area by far is the wood shop.   I had heard of this program, but I had no idea of its extent until I saw it with my own eyes.  The inmates that participate in this program do incredible and beautiful work.  Some of the projects are quite intricate.

It was especially nice to see my cousin "on the job."  Dad, Lew, and I have a much greater appreciation for what he does!

After our tour, we drove to the Showroom store where the completed items are sold.  We had just seen the works in progress, so it was fun to see the final products.

We ate at Moody's Diner on our way home.  I had a piece of Strawberry Rhubarb pie for dessert.  :)

Beach Walk Quiz

Another beautiful vacation day here in Southern Maine.

Lew and I took a lovely walk on the beach around 4:00 this afternoon.  We saw a lot of interesting things... some of which were due to Irene.

A multiple choice quiz for you.... Which of the following did we NOT see on our walk today?

1. a live hermit crab
2. beautiful (and empty) snail shells
3. a message in a bottle: "I survived Irene August 2011"
4. intact clam shells, with the clams still inside
5. a little, unleashed dog terrorizing everyone
6. the Atlantic Ocean
7. none of the above (that is, we saw all of them)

And the correct answer is....

After the Hurricane

Around 1:30 a.m. last night (or this morning... whatever), I was awakened by the sound of the wind.  I got up and looked out the window.  Perhaps the dark of night and the residual effects of my recent slumber affected my analysis, but it appeared that the wind was greater than anything that we had experienced yesterday.  I felt it necessary to tell Lew about it.  His response was unintelligible.  He claims that he remembers this exchange.

I crawled back into bed and got up again several minutes later.  I had heard a loud vehicle go by, and I wanted to try to see what it was.  I missed it.  But wait!  I heard another one coming.  I watched, but it didn't come.  Then I realized that the loud noises I had heard were not cars but even bigger gusts of wind!  The tree in our front yard was swaying back and forth and back and forth.

I crawled back into bed and snuggled up to Lew.  "It's really windy out," I told him.  He grunted.  I took that as a lack of concern on his part.  If he wasn't worried, why should I be?  I eventually fell asleep.

When I finally woke up this morning (at 7:30!), the sun was out in a perfectly blue sky.  Not one cloud.  A beautiful morning....

And a beautiful day.

Tropical Storm Irene

Irene was no longer a hurricane by the time she reached us.  To be honest, our household has not experienced much of her effects.  Sure, it's rained hard at times.  It's been windy (mid-30's mph).  Some folks here in town have lost power, but we personally haven't as of yet.

Now that I've written the above, I just learned that a piece of siding is coming off of the house.  It's on the porch, so Lew just walked outside (in his bare feet) to make sure the piece doesn't blow away.

Aunt Debbie has been here since early this morning.  She didn't want to be at her cottage during the high winds, as there is a big tree that is a little too close for comfort....

Matt and Emily lost power at their house, so they came by to visit for a bit.  Right before they left us, Matt called their home number and the answering machine picked up -- their power was back!

We watched a movie (Dad even watched with us!) and we just watched the final game of the Little League World Series.  Lew and I have some Masterpiece Mystery episodes on our DVR, so we're all set for tonight.

From what I can tell from the weather sites, tonight's winds should not be worse than what we're already getting.  Looks like the southern coast of Maine has fared relatively well, considering what it could have been like....

Thanks for checking in.

(Postscript:  6:25 p.m.  The power just blipped off and right back on.  Uh-oh!  I hope that doesn't keep happening!)

Vacation Chores

We have two window air conditioning units that I made Lew take out today.  I didn't want Irene to blow them in the window at me!  Nor did I want some flying debris to crash into the part of the unit that hangs out the window.

After the air conditioner project, Lew cleaned his motorcycle.

There were a few zucchini and squash that needed to be taken care of.  So Lew did that, too.  He used his pellet gun!

We spent quite a bit of time continuing to set up Lew's new computer.  I also cleaned off his old one.  It's still usable to surf the Internet, so we'll keep it as a backup.

Lew made spaghetti for dinner.  Yum.

We also went for a walk on the beach.  Below is photographic proof.  (Lew took this with his cell phone; he guessed pretty well on where to point and shoot!)

Quite the Friday

This morning I went for a walk with my friend Ellen.

We saw a squirrel get hit by a car.  Actually, Ellen saw the squirrel get hit.  I looked away.

Shortly after that we walked by some chickens.  One of them started to chase us down the sidewalk.  Maybe it thought I was its mother.

There was more road kill right near Ellen's house.  She claimed it was a squirrel.  I looked at it and said, "Ellen, that is not a squirrel."  It was a possum -- and it wasn't just playing dead.

After I got home from our walk, I showered and did three loads of laundry.  I ran the dishwasher.  I went to Rite Aid.

Lew's new laptop arrived mid afternoon.  (His old one has been on its last leg for a while.)  We just ordered it last week -- at a great price -- and we were pleased to get it so quickly.  I spent some time getting it started up.  He's playing on it now.  :)

We decided to take a "pie and fry" trip.  I successfully avoided all seagulls.

Lew's on vacation!

Incoming! . . . Irene and a Baseball

Hurricane Irene is supposed to "hit" us sometime on Sunday.  Dad heard that we could get winds of 80+ miles per hour.  Then a few hours later, he heard that it was 60+.  We shall find out soon enough.

Because we believe in "better safe than sorry," we began to bring stuff inside today.  The only things left on the deck -- a few chairs, the grill, and a storage box -- will be stored in the garage sometime tomorrow evening.

Lew and I just went to the grocery store.  We usually go either Friday night or Saturday morning, but we wanted to avoid the expected madhouse!  We were laughing because we didn't really stock up on groceries.  We got a lot of cleaning supplies (due to my coupon stash), so we joked that we would be the cleanest household during the hurricane.

When Lew gets home from work tomorrow, he will be on vacation through Labor Day.  Hooray!  It's a bummer that a couple of his days may be ruined by Irene, but at least we can hunker down at home together.

Speaking of Lew, here's yet another memoir from Sunday.  One of Matt's buddies was doing some filming, and he happened to get "First Pitch at Hadlock Field 8/21/11"....



I like the little shrug at the end!  :)

Dad 59: Grandkid News; What Earthquake?

(Woo hoo!  I was glad when I received Dad's post. Enjoy!  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  Coming to you from the great Northeast.  Some people around here claim to have felt the tremble from the earthquake, but I personally did not feel any such tremors (neither did spouse).  Perhaps this is due to my sense of balance always being off anyway.  However, at just about earthquake time we heard a crash outside and had a flicker in our lights.  Not sure if this was connected with the earthquake or not.

I've had kind of a down week as I lost my night conversationalist (is that a word?), as grandkid Kaelen returned home Monday for her junior year (wow) at Eureka College (Ronald Reagan's college).  I must admit she picked on me quite a bit but I bucked up and was ready to handle her comments.  I even managed to get some zingers off in her direction.  I call the summer even.  After having Kaelen around for about three months it seems the house is much less full.  Miss you, Kaelen, and we'll see you soon.  Tell Cocoa we'll be there.  I hope your new hairdo goes over well with your friends.  If it doesn't, cross them off your list.

Spent the last couple days getting the motor home ready for travel as opposed to a summer home.  Will get it serviced and stickered in the next couple weeks before leaving home for a visit and to attend niece Heidi's wedding in Indy (Home of the Colts).

We're gearing up for football now as Josh has practiced for the past two weeks and Zack started two days ago.  Josh will be on the 8th grade team and Zack will be on the 5th grade level community service team.  Will have a couple games a week.  Those will keep us busy (it doesn't take much).

We're now waiting for Hurricane Irene to come up the East Coast.  Not sure what it will be like, but we'll keep our nose to the news.

I've cut my post in half this week, so I'll get less pay.  But Tracy will be glad.

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

The Wind-Up

A professional photographer was taking pictures at the game on Sunday.  When I saw this photo, I knew that I had to get the electronic copy to post on my blog!  So -- with credit card in hand -- I downloaded the file.  And now I share the photo with you.

What form and concentration!

She Left On A Jet Plane

Kaelen flew out of Portland, Maine this morning with the bluebirds.

She and my parents got up at 4:00 a.m. to leave for the airport, and she landed in Illinois before noon her time.  That's good, because she had "Junior Verification" at her college starting at 3:30.  When she was telling me about this event last night, I commented on her timing -- nothing like cutting it close!  :)

Kaelen enjoyed her time in the sun this summer.  On a hot and humid day about a week ago, she came up with a clever way to sunbathe and stay somewhat cooled off at the same time.

It's true... a picture really is worth a thousand words....

A Happy Birthday for Lew

Lew celebrated his mumble-third birthday today!  Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

We met Matt and Emily at noon, and the four of us went to the Sea Dogs game.  (Or should I say, the five of us?  Emily's due date is only nine weeks away....)

Matt had arranged for Lew to be one of the folks to throw out the first pitch.  It was fun to see him out there showing his stuff!  His pitch hit the dirt just before home plate and bounced up to hit the catcher in the chest.  Nobody was injured.

Lefty Lew on the mound, winding up....


Lew claims  that if he had taken a couple more seconds to just breathe, then he could have thrown it to the catcher with no bounce.  We'll never know.

Matt had arranged for one more thing.  Here's one of the fifth-inning announcements on the scoreboard:

Matt sure did plan a special birthday for his dad.  Now, if he could have just arranged for the Sea Dogs to win....

Excuse Me?

Lew and I had a lovely day.  Some friends from church had a gathering at their house.  They live on a lake, so Lew got a chance to go swimming.  I stayed nice and dry.  :)

On our way home we stopped at Cabela's to get a few things -- four items, to be exact.

When we went to check out, we discovered that only two lines were currently open.  They were both long, so we picked the line that had customers with very few items in their hands -- no carts at all.

A couple of teenagers were in front of us.  In front of them was a woman with an ice cream item.

We waited in line for several minutes.

And we waited some more.

Then the woman with the ice cream yells back to a kid to "bring the carts up here... I don't want to wait in line again!"  And two additional people -- a kid and probably a grandmother -- come up with two full shopping carts.

Well....

Hmmm....

My blood began to boil.  Yes, it did.

There were a few more customers in line in back of us by this point.  They didn't look happy.  The teenagers in front of us were wide-eyed.  I overheard them whispering about a reservation that they had.

Then the lady began to wave up a few more people that were apparently with her.

I don't remember exactly how it happened, but I opened my big mouth.  Yes, I did.

I caught the eye of the ice-cream-lady-who-now-had-two-full-carts and told her that we only had four small items.  She asked, "Oh, do you want to go in front of me?"  Was there an edge to that?  I think so.

"Well, yes," I responded.  "We got in this line because no one had a lot of items.  These kids in front of us only have a couple things...."

"I've been waiting a long time, too," she responded.

I calmly pointed out that she had been waiting with only an ice cream.  And now she had added two completely full carts to the mix.

Busted.

She paid for the ice cream, because the little girl (who had not been waiting in line with her, by the way) had to eat it before it melted.

Then she had the carts removed to the back of the line.  When we left the store -- within the next five minutes(!) -- we noticed that she was no longer in line at all.  She was standing with her carts and her entourage of people a little further back from any of the checkout lines.  (Perhaps they were discussing their next line-jumping ploy....)

As for the teenagers in front of us?  They were very appreciative that I had spoken up.  As they were checking out, the girl told me that she didn't dare to say anything... although her mom would have done what I did!

My blood temperature is almost back to normal.

Grand Slam... And Gone I Am

Lew's company party was tonight in the picnic area at Hadlock Field. That's where the Portland Sea Dogs play.

Our picnic area ticket included a meal of hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecued chicken, baked beans, cole slaw, Sea Dogs Biscuits, and soda machine drinks.

While we were eating, we began to admire the beautiful bolts of lightning that were shooting across the sky. Then it began to pour. Fortunately the picnic area is covered!

The start of the game was delayed by an hour. The Sea Dogs made two errors in the first inning, and they were suddenly behind, 2-0.

It was still 2-0 with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the 5th inning. The Sea Dogs manager made a pitching change, and that's when the rest of Lew's coworkers decided to leave. We opted to go as well.

On our way out of the park, we saw that the Sea Dogs were now behind, 6-0.

Yep. The relief pitcher came in and promptly gave up a grand slam.

Looks like we made a good choice, as we are now home in time to watch the end of the Red Sox game.  At least the Sox are on their way to victory tonight!

$1,692.59

A month ago today, I spent at least 45 minutes on the phone with the "Customer Relations Center" of a certain automobile company.  Today I spent another 30 minutes.

Why?

I believe that the company is responsible for our vehicle repair.  The vehicle is no longer under warranty, but the part that "went" should have lasted much, much longer than it did.

We took the vehicle to one of the manufacturer's "authorized service centers" for the repair.  The subsequent sequence of events:

1. Service center takes the engine apart.
2. Service center sends the faulty part to machine shop for machining.
3. Machine shop sends part back to service center.
4. Service center puts car back together.  (Two weeks have now gone by.)
5. We pick the car up, but vehicle is misbehaving within 10 miles of our driving it.
6. We take vehicle back to service center the next day.
7. Service center takes the engine apart.
8. Service center sends the faulty part back to the machine shop.
9. The machine shop says there is nothing wrong with the part.
10. Service center sends the faulty part to another machine shop for a "second opinion."
11. Second machine shop determines that additional machining must be done.
12. They do it.
13. Second machine shop sends part back to service center.
14. Service center puts car back together.  (Another two weeks have now gone by.)
15. Service center starts the car and allows the engine to reach a certain temperature.
16. The vehicle still misbehaves.
17. The frustrated service manager makes a management decision and orders a brand new part (and has it overnighted).
18. The service center receives the brand new part.
19. The service center finally is able to successfully repair the vehicle.
20. We take possession of our vehicle.

The service manager agrees that the automobile manufacturer should cover this repair.  In fact, he is attempting to get some compensation from them, too.  His shop took apart the car two additional times at no cost to us.  And he couldn't charge us for the new part -- which was over $800, by the way.

I learned today that our "case is closed" as far as the Customer Relations Center is concerned.  There is no policy nor program in place by which they can assist us.  (Huh?)  They decided this a month ago.

But, I asked, doesn't this new information at least warrant them revisiting the issue?

-- Nope.  There's no way to "reopen the case" nor "open a new one."  The reason we brought the car in did not change, so "that's that" as far as they are concerned.

Ummm... the part was defective.  Isn't this aberration something that they could at least look into further?

-- Nope.  The "case is closed."

And to whom do I appeal this decision?

-- I can't.  I am told that the only thing I can do at this point is write a letter to the company.  (Gee, I wonder how effective that will be?)

Still, I will write that letter.  I will send it to the attention of the company's CEO.  I will suggest to him some needed improvements in his customer service policies and procedures.  I will suggest to him that he should stand by his company's product.  And I will generously offer him these suggestions at no cost to his company.

I will also enclose an auto repair invoice of $1,692.59.

I will accept a company check.

Dad 58: The 55th High School Reunion

(Dad went to his reunion and actually enjoyed it.  Have fun reading his account... which he gave to me on four completely-filled hand-written pages! -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  Enjoying a beautiful sunny summer day.  It doesn't get much better.  Sitting on the couch watching the Sox (Red) in a day game.  The Sox haven't been playing intense, exciting baseball lately.  This is my opinion.  Get motivated!  Please!

A note to Kathy:  You keep rooting for the Colts.  You should be loyal to the home team.  It will all come crashing down at season's end, however, as the Patriots will join the Bruins and Sox (Red) as champions.

Just had a very exciting week.  We saw a fabulous concert last Friday evening at the Old Orchard Beach Pavilion.  The group, Signature Sound, was in great voice.  They have a new bass singer.  He was a member of the Imperials and the Cumberland Boys prior to joining SS.  In my humble opinion, he is one of the best bass singers I have heard.  I have heard just about all the Southern Gospel basses over the past sixty years.  His voice and range (low) is superb!  I had my Singing News magazine autographed by the quartet as they appeared on the cover for the month of August.  It will eventually be framed and mounted on my "Wall of Fame."  I did have help getting the last signature (Ernie Haase) as Tracy pushed her way to another member who graciously handed it to Ernie.  Pushed may be an overstatement.  She aggressively got the item to Doug Anderson (baritone; in Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame).  A successful evening was had by all.

I followed up my Friday night concert with a Saturday night reunion.  You see, I attended my 25th high school reunion a few years back (many years ago) and at that time I said I'd go to my 50th.  Well I failed to make it to my 50th so I decided to attend my 55th.  It was good to see some of the old classmates from long ago.  One thing I noticed was that just about all the attendees have changed over the years.  I was quite surprised as just about all of them told me I looked about the same.  My conclusion:  Age has crept up on all my classmates while showing no effect on me.  Just kidding, but really some of us have aged better than others.  For sure!

Also at the reunion I was asked if I still played the trumpet.  I said no but could probably get at least one tune played, if necessary.  I'm sure I couldn't last too long, however.  Perhaps I'll practice so as to play a tune at the next attended reunion.  I'd rather sing.

I was also asked whatever happened to Chee-Chee.  The person asking lived next door to Dad's store and would occasionally visit the monkey at his home (pen).  I responded that we had four more monkeys.  She replied, "I only knew Chee-Chee."  It was then that I told her we called all of them Chee-Chee.  I told her the last I knew of him was at the Acton Fair where he was outside a tent on a leash.  Someone told my dad his monkey was over at the tent.  We walked over to the tent and there he was.  Dad stepped over the barrier and started toward Chee-Chee.  A man stepped out telling Dad not to go in there.  Dad continued to walk toward the friendly beast.  Upon speaking to Chee-Chee and getting in close proximity, the monkey leaped onto Dad's shoulder.  The man said, "He's never done that before, and look what he has done to my tent."  The tent was ripped up but the animal was now calm.  That evening showed how wild animals react to someone they trust and has treated them well.  The man said he had a chance to sell Chee-Chee and I believe after talking with Dad he would follow through on that.

My last reunion visit was with a fellow trumpet player who would play the horn while having air leak out by the mouthpiece.  Her husband (a friend I grew up with) said when we were playing, I was playing alone.  In other words, he was not impressed with her trumpet playing but managed to stay connected in marriage over 50 years.  In fact, there were several couples there that had celebrated over 50 years in marriage.  We were a loyal class!!

After that, I waved good bye and told them I'd see them in five years (at our 60th).  It was a good night to see some long-lost friends.  Also good to get home.

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

The Colors of Summer

We have seen -- and continue to see -- a lot of orange and white this summer.

The orange and white are alternating stripes on traffic cones... and also on those things that look like large garbage cans.

Yes, 'tis the season for Road Construction!

There is one major project on Route 1 that has gone on forever.  The word on the street (pun intended) is that it is almost complete.  From what I can tell, they need to mark the lanes.  They've widened the road and added a left-hand turn lane in one section, and nobody seems to know where the lanes actually are yet.  It's been fun to drive through.

The Maine Turnpike exit that Lew takes to go to work is also undergoing some work.  The exit itself is open, but the corresponding northbound entrance is currently closed.  The southbound entrance is open however, and fortunately Lew heads south to come home.

We ran into a similar situation on I-295 last night.  Due to road construction and a closed exit, we had to go a different way to our event.  We were able to come home the normal way, though.

As much as I dislike the thought of the eventual end of warm weather, I am looking forward to the removal of the orange and white street decor.

Mumblin' Monday

Lew and I have an obligation tonight, so I thought I would get my post done now.  Then I won't need to do it when we get home.

But I can't think of anything that I want to write about!

I could write about my day, but I've been doing boring stuff -- paperwork, writing checks, catching up on some correspondence.  (I'm still not completely caught up.)

I'm not feeling inspired to comment on any issues.  My brain isn't really in gear to do anything too thought-provoking.

I will mention the weather.  It's been raining most of the day.  Lovely.

Our mail has already arrived.  Last Monday was the post-10:00 p.m. day, so we've had some improvement.

I like dark chocolate.  Sometimes I put peanut butter on it.  I did that yesterday, but I haven't yet today.  Hmmmm.... Gotta run!

Thanks for checking in!

Chopped Liver

Lew played nine holes of golf this afternoon with Glen, Josh, and Zack.  After they finished, I received a phone call from Lew.  Glen and the boys were going to the Portland Pie Company for supper, and would it be OK with me if he joined them?  Of course.

How the supper plan developed... the rest of the story:

One of the boys asked their Uncle Lew if he would be able to go eat with them.  Lew responded that he probably should go home to spend some time with his wife (that is, yours truly).  At this, Zack replied:  "But you've been married to her forever!  You should come with us!"

Zack is definitely his father's son.  :)

My Domestic Triumph

Lew and I went to a birthday party tonight.  Our good friend Nathan turned 19 today!  (Happy Birthday, Nate!)

We live within walking distance from the parsonage, so Lew and I arrived early.

I volunteered to help Melodie carry stuff outside for the barbecue, and then there was some work to be done in the kitchen.  And I helped!

Yes.... I assisted in food preparation!

Before you get too excited, there was no cooking involved in my tasks.  But I did successfully peel and slice a cucumber.  I was also quite adept at putting Craisins into two delicious salads.  One of the salads was of the cole slaw variety, and I actually got to mix and stir that one up.

I heard Lew warning Melodie about my kitchen skills, but Melodie trusted me anyway.  She likes to live on the edge, I guess.

Debbie, Glen, the boys, Kaelen, and many of our church friends were at the party.  A wonderful time was had by all.

And the cole slaw was superb!

EH & SS Concert

A dozen of us went to the Seaside Pavilion in Old Orchard Beach tonight to see Ernie Haase & Signature Sound in concert.

When it comes to music, there's nothing greater than gospel music.  And when it comes to gospel music, there's nothing quite like a fine male quartet.  So, it was a wonderful night.  We all enjoyed it!

Our group of 12:

• Mom & Dad
• Debbie, Glen, Josh & Zack
• Aunt Debbie
• Kaelen
• Nathan
• Melodie (PD couldn't go, as he was away)
• Lew & I

What a fun entourage!

And in case you're wondering, I did not have any seagull incidents while there.  Granted, I didn't have any pizza, either....

Go Ahead... Take My Pizza

I learned tonight that my cousin Wendy has been quite concerned for our Aunt Debbie. You see, Aunt Debbie had not eaten any Pier Fries yet this summer.

Until tonight.

Yes, Wendy! Aunt Debbie went for Pie and Fry with us!

Lew and I picked up Aunt Debbie at her cottage and then drove the few blocks to downtown OOB. The parking spot we found had 54 minutes left on the meter. Hooray! You only get 7 and 1/2 minutes for each quarter, so we felt like we had hit the jackpot.

We each got a slice of pepperoni pizza at Bill's Pizza and decided to walk toward the pier. As we were walking by the water fountain, I took a bite of my pizza. And then my pizza was gone...

For the second OOB trip in a row, I was attacked by a pizza-stealing seagull.

That thieving seagull grabbed my pizza right out of my mouth!

I was holding the end of the slice in my right hand, but I wasn't able to hold on. I was much too startled, and I must say that this incident had a sense of "scary" that last week's incident did not. The seagull was right in my face.

Aunt Debbie and Lew could both "feel" the seagulls swooping in. Aunt Debbie's slice was still on her plate, so she was able to fold her plate right over her pizza. And they never really went for Lew's, although he could feel feathers on the back of his head.

I have always known that seagulls are aggressive when it comes to food. (Do you recall the "mine, mine" chant by the seagulls in the movie Finding Nemo?  That is right on!) But I have never known them to be like what I have experienced over the last couple weeks.

I think that I am going to add Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds to our Netflix queue.

And I am going to stay away from the water fountain.  Especially with pizza.

Dad 57: Sports, Concerts, Reunions...Oh, My!

(Dad returns to the Wednesday slot.  Enjoy his post!  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  From the damp soggy northeast great state of Maine.  Can't complain as we need some rain for the grass and crops.  Not for the beach!  Just remembered, I don't go to the beach.  Let it rain!  I can still sit on Lew's porch and stay dry.

Not much news to deliver to you, but how about those Sox (Red)?  They are starting their run to "World Series Champions" for 2011.  Take my word for it!  The Bruins won the Stanley Cup..  The Sox (Red) will win the Series!  The Patriots are on television tomorrow night as they prepare for their Super Bowl win next February.  The Celtics will have a more difficult road to win the NBA playoffs.  It will happen!  What a time to be a Boston and New England sports fan.  It doesn't get any better.  Boston is currently the "sports capital" of the world.  We are enjoying this time in history.  You're all welcome to join in on the fun and root for winners!

I'm planning to attend a concert in a couple days at the Old Orchard Beach Pavilion.  Ernie Haase & Signature Sound will be appearing and we have about a dozen people attending.  Looking forward to hearing one of the best gospel quartets in the business today.  I'll let you know how it went next week.

I'll also be attending my second reunion of my high school graduation.  I attended my 25th and at that time I said I'd go to my 50th.  Well, I missed my 50th so I'll attend my 55th.  This will probably be the last one I'll attend as I'm not "Mr. Socially Inclined."  The closer I get to the reunion I wonder why I'm going.  I'll let you know how it goes down next week.  I'm not overcome with high expectations and probably won't hang around too long.  Stay tuned!

Kaelen's last week of summer work is next week.  She'll return to Illinois in less than two weeks and resume her collegiate career.  Spouse just said that summer ends when Kaelen returns to Eureka.  I don't see it quite that way.  We are, however, on the road to fall and winter.  Don't hurry!

I hope for a more exciting, enlightening tale next time.  In the meantime, bear with me.  It is tough being at the top of your game week in and week out.

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

The Gloom of Night

"Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat,
nor gloom of night,
stays these couriers from the swift completion
of their appointed rounds."
----  Herodotus, 503 B.C.

By doing a little Internet research, I learned that the above is really not an official motto of the Unites States Postal Service.  It is, however, inscribed on a number of post office buildings.

Yesterday, our mail did not get delivered to our home until 10:08 p.m.

Yes, that's p.m.

As in, the "gloom of night."

I was already in bed reading, and I happened to hear a vehicle slow down outside.  I jumped up soon enough to look out the window and see that it was the mail truck.

"Swift" completion of the appointed round?

Not quite!

(Postscript:  Today the mail arrived mid-afternoon.)

Back to My Routine?

After a wonderful vacation week, Lew went back to work today . . . for the next three weeks.  Then he will have another week of vacation!  I'm looking forward to it already.

So, one of us is back into a routine.  But it is not I.

I actually do have a weekly schedule written out, so I should be into a routine.  I created my schedule on Microsoft Excel.  Each cell of the spreadsheet represents 15 minutes.  The various types of activities are even color-coded.  For example, the "Breakfast," "Lunch," and "Dinner" cells all have a pale-green background.  Exercise time is in yellow.  Writing (my not-yet-existent novel) is in dark purple.  Blogging is in a bright pink.  And so on.

According to my schedule, I am supposed to get up at 6:45 a.m. every day.  Bedtime is scheduled for 10:45 p.m. every day.  And yes, by "every day" I do mean the weekends, too.  The time between 10:45 p.m. and 6:45 a.m. -- when I'm supposed to be sleeping -- is not actually represented on my spreadsheet, because I should be asleep and not referring to the schedule.

So, I'm doing really well not referring to the schedule as I sleep.  But as for referring to the schedule when I'm awake?  Not so well.

Maybe I should plan my days by using individual cards that represent various tasks.  Sort of like Richard Simmons and "Deal-A-Meal."  Hmmmm . . . . I will have to let you know how that goes!

Lucky Number 70

Today we celebrated Aunt Debbie's 70th birthday.

Yes, you read that number correctly... 70!!!

Aunt Debbie, Dad, Mom, Debbie, Glen, Josh, Zack, Lew, and I all went out to lunch and then came back to the house for cake and ice cream.  We had a lovely party!

Happy 70th Birthday, Aunt Debbie!

One candle per decade!

Aunt Debbie is holding up my parents' card.
Lew is looking up something on the computer.

Back, L-R:  Dad, Aunt Debbie, Mom, Debbie
Front, L-R:  Lew, me, Zack, Josh
Behind the camera:  Glen

Traded Places:  Glen and Lew; Debbie and me

The Birthday Girl wearing her new C J Collection jewelry!

A Day Fit For a Slug

Lew and I met our friends for breakfast.

After we got home, Lew hopped on his motorcycle and rode to Gorham to visit his mother.  I stayed home and sat around.  When I wasn't reading, I had my eyes shut.

When Lew returned, he suggested a walk on the beach.  He indicated waiting about an hour before going, but I said we better go now while I was in agreement (and awake).  So, we did.

After we got home, I sat around.  When I wasn't reading, I was paying attention to the Red Sox game.  After losing to the Yankees last night, the Sox pulled out a win against them today.  The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow night.  Go Sox.

I managed to finish the book I've been reading all week:  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  (I'll be writing about it on my book blog within the next couple days.)  This was the 7th -- and final -- book in the series.  Lew and I have watched all of the movies based on the first six books.  We know that there are two movies to cover the 7th book, and we'll watch them both when the 2nd one comes out on DVD.  Then we will feel quite cultured!

Vacation Days #6 and #7

Now that it is Friday evening, Lew's vacation time is officially over.  Although we do still have the weekend.  :)

We've had a really nice week together.  Yesterday and today were filled with a variety of fun things.  And lots of food, of course!  If you get the feeling that we enjoy eating, then you would be correct.

We have taken lots of walks this week, so we did work off some of the many calories that we consumed.

So, now we're just down to the weekend ahead.  Usually the weekends go pretty fast, although this one will probably seem longer than usual.  Why?  The Yankees are in Boston....

Dad 56: Seagull Story; Gardening Greatness

(As promised, here's Dad's weekly post -- but on Thursday, not the usual Wednesday.  Enjoy!  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  A day late and a dollar short from the great Northeast!  We hit 60 degrees during the night.  We're enjoying great summer temperatures.  Haven't used A/C for a couple weeks.

Mainely Tracy's post yesterday reminded me of a trip to Illinois.  It involves another seagull.  Tracy's close encounter was different from Kim's.  Upon our exit from an eatery a seagull flew overhead.  It was time to unload previously-eaten food.  Obviously the gull took aim and let it fly.  Plunk on Kim.  We can all laugh about it now.  At the time cleanup was necessary.  At least we know it wasn't the pizza stolen from Tracy that landed on Kim.  This probably landed on someone walking around Old Orchard Beach last night.  Better them than me.

An update on baseball.  The team (Yarmouth) that beat Josh's team (3-1) went on to win the State playoffs and will be in the New England tournament, from which the winner will proceed to the Williamsport (PA) Little League World Series.  I will watch them on ESPN on August 9th at 10:00 a.m.  I wish them well.

Cocoa and the Henrys are back in Illinois.  Cocoa had a haircut and Kelsey is participating in band camp this week and is now the Head Drum Major.  Congratulations, Kelsey!

Last night sister Deb and I attended a show by Sandi Patty.  It was at the Old Orchard Beach Pavilion.  The Salvation Army is having its summer meetings this week and the Pavilion was almost filled.  It was the largest group I've seen at the Pavilion.  I would guess 90% - 95% seats filled.  It was good to see it like that as usually it is about one-third capacity.  I hope Ernie Haase and Signature Sound have as good a crowd.  I doubt it, but time will tell.  (Friday, August 12 at 6:00 p.m.)

The family is getting ready for two weddings in the next couple months.  We're planning to attend both.  Missy (Robert and Carrie's daughter) will be married at the end of the month.  Heidi (Gordon and Kathy's daughter) will be married October 1, 2011 out in Indianapolis, IN.  Looking forward to both.  Robert and Kathy are offspring of sister Jean and our late brother-in-law Pastor Bob.  So that makes us uncle and aunt to the brides.  Of course it is actually "great"-uncle and "great"-aunt.  Great meaning "old" not "exceptional!"

This spring I bought some Topsy-Turvy planters as seen on TV for some vegetable plants.  Upon completing my planting the engineering feat collapsed on me and I tried to salvage my plants.  Half lived but did not produce any product.  I trashed them and will try again next year.  I did, however, have two tomato plants in pots.  One pot was run over by daughter Deb but I managed to salvage the other plant.  I dug two holes in our well-manicured lawn and transplanted the plants.  Suffice it to say that one plant was almost totally destroyed by Zack as he showed his incompetency of driving his "race car."  We had a show of driving skills (remote controls) one night by family members and inattention was a factor in the crash.  Actually quite humorous!  The plant still has a few small tomatoes we look forward to eating.  The second plant also has some larger tomatoes on it.

At planting time I had a few cukes, summer squash, and zucchini plants left over and I couldn't just throw them out.  I bought some garden loam and dug a little in the front of the house.  Instead of flowers, we have a very productive vegetable garden on our front lawn.  Spouse has been harvesting squash and cukes daily.  I am going to expand the plot next summer.  The plot thickens!  Ha ha!

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

The vegetable garden in front of the house

Vacation Day #5

(I asked Dad if he would write Thursday's post this week instead of Wednesday's, and he agreed.  So for all of you Derf fans, please be sure to check in tomorrow!)

Today's post could be titled, "Bill & Stacey's and Lew & Tracy's Excellent Adventure."  Bill and Stacey are friends who also happen to be on vacation this week.

Our day together started with a mid-morning walk on the beach.  Then we went to Old Orchard Beach for a Pie & Fry lunch.  And a funny thing happened while we were at OOB....

....We had gotten our pizza slices and were sitting around the fountain, chatting and eating.  Then I was startled to feel something invade my personal space on the left side of my head.  It was a quick movement which actually scraped my ear.... and then grabbed my pizza right off of my plate.  IT WAS A SEAGULL!!!  A SEAGULL ATTACKED ME AND STOLE MY PIZZA!!!  I would have cried over the loss of the pizza, except I was laughing too hard and of course I was thinking, "Oh, what a great story for my blog."  (The slice of pizza was gone in approximately two seconds, as about four other seagulls joined the frenzy.)

After the pizza fiasco, we walked up onto the Pier.  The Pier has been taken over by tacky gift shops and the like, so now there is only one very small area on the south side of the Pier from which you can actually stop and look at the scenery.  Here's what we saw:

Old Orchard Beach.  Oh, my goodness!

After inhaling Pier Fries, we came back to our house for a bit.  Stacey, Lew, and I all stared at the backs of our eyelids while Bill played our keyboard.  It was a lovely nap time, and Bill's music was beautiful.

Then Lew and I got the call we had been waiting on for days:  Our car was FINALLY repaired!  We went to pick it up.

After a scrumptious dinner at the the new Subway, the four of us then went over to Higgins Beach.  Bill and Stacey's daughter, Stephanie, met us over there.  Bill, Lew, and Stephanie went fishing.  Stacey and I watched.

Lew, Stephie, and Bill.  But no fish.

An unsuccessful, although fun, fishing expedition must always be followed up with ice cream.

We are now watching the Red Sox.  Bill, Lew, and I are watching, that is.  Stacey's eyes are shut.

Bill just reminded me about the water.  There were three separate times that we meant to get water out of the refrigerator before leaving the house today.  We remembered to do this exactly zero out of three times.

We had a wonderful day with wonderful friends!

Vacation Day #4

Ate at IHOP for breakfast this morning.  When we go there (which isn't often), Lew always gets the Breakfast Sampler and I usually get an omelette.  Today I had one with steak in it.  Yummy.

We took a longer-than-normal walk on the beach to compensate for the amount we ate.

The afternoon weather was quite fickle.  Sunny and nice out -- then booming thunder -- then sunny -- then rainy.  The perfect afternoon to stay home reading and watching DVDs.

We are now waiting for the Red Sox game to begin.  Rain in Boston has delayed the start.

So... back to my book for now!

Vacation Day #3

Lew's buddy Steve came over this morning with our favorites from Tony's Donuts.  A Raspberry Bismarck for me.  Yum!

Lew and I then went for a lovely walk on the beach, although it was sad to see the smoke from a bad fire in Old Orchard Beach.  The fire broke out around 8:15 a.m. at The Galaxy Nightclub, which was destroyed.

After errands and some lunch, we went to see "Cowboys & Aliens" at the movie theater.  We had heard that the reviews were not good, but we both found the movie entertaining.  It was exactly what one should expect from a movie titled "Cowboys & Aliens."

On our way home, we stopped to visit our car in the repair shop.  We may get it back on Wednesday.  This has been quite the experience, which I will document on "Mainely Tracy" when it's all finally over.

Chocolate cake is an acceptable dinner, right?  Right??  Please, let it be so!!