More Nova Scotia thoughts, etc.

These are the things I wrote down while in Cape Breton. They're not in chronological order or any kind of order for that matter. Just things that caught my mind.

* Road signs in Maine, two yellow diamonds--top large, bottom significantly smaller.

Main St. Closed
Use other end

* Wolf spider on my arm in the kitchen. Hairy kind. I brush it off and it drops on a web rather than just falling off. Hard time disconnecting it from my sleeve. I thought of Jenny.

* Three-day trip from Cadyville because of a blown alternator only 160.7 miles after starting. Amazing luck finding another alternator for Bruce's 1988 van, our transportation mode. (Don't get me started on that.)

* Half of 30-mile stretch on "grooved pavement" (read: blacktop removed and nothing put back yet). No line markings. Driven at night, valiantly, by Bruce with me white-knuckling for him. That van has headlights like candles--and he says so.

* Carmel (Bruce's friend, a terrific Cape Bretoner of Irish heritage): "One night I took an unbearable pain."
And about one of her brothers (I think she said she comes from 13): "If he wants to shovel his dirt outside he'll just have to ...." I can't remember the rest of the phrase.

I love to listen to her talk; her regionalisms are all new to me and so interesting, as is she.

* Mackerel fishing--caught about 14, kept 9. (This was the first day I fished.)
Beautiful fish: fast silver flash in the water, mottled blue and green on top with irregularly-shaped black stripes.

* Cluster flies. Aargh. Using a shop vac to suck them up makes me feel like Darth Vader with a light sword.

* I opened fridge and went to get butter out of the door compartment. There was a (non-hairy) wolf spider on the compartment door! (I figured out later that the spider probably got there when the fridge had the door propped open since J&S had closed the place for the winter.)

* Eagle flying overhead as I walked along the North River with the dog. The eagle was harassed by a very brave crow but it scared a murder of crows from their roosts anyway.

* Moose poop on the road about 100' from the driveway. Looked fresh ... and it looked just like the candy called "moose poop."

* Caught 12 mackerel today. Some were pretty big!

* I must be into poop: bear poop about 100' from the house today. It's definitely fresh, most likely from earlier this a.m. I'm glad we're on our way out!

And now I learn that no one develops 35mm film locally. I dropped the film at Walmart and will be able to get the prints in ... Friday of next week? So maybe pictures then.

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

I'm an A-One Mackerel Fisherperson, according to Bruce. That was our main fun on this trip to Cape Breton. I'm hoping Bruce got a good photo of me holding one of the many mackerel I caught (12 one day!). But since our camera broke right before we left I have no digital photos and the 2 cameras we did have use 35mm film which I'll take to get developed tomorrow. It appears that Target is the only place left in my little town that works with film. Geez. So we'll see...

Meanwhile, Cape Breton is still its beautiful self. Probably the best feature of the island is its people, all of whom are friendly and (like most Canadians) so polite. We stayed at our friends' house, John & Sue, on the southeast side of the island. They live in P'burgh but have bought the place in N.S. as a summer place. I do not know of anyone else who would choose Plattsburgh as their winter place! And I compare it to being at camp. (For any non-NY/Eastern U.S. readers, a "camp" here is much like a "cottage" elsewhere but it doesn't have to have waterfrontage.) There's running water, which means a flush toilet, and electricity--unlike the camp I used to have in the Adirondacks. Heat comes from a kerosene heater and I'm somewhat allergic to the fumes, i.e., headaches. But it can be quite cozy when the weather is typical Scottish weather, meaning cold mist/drizzle/rain, and that was what we had for several days this time. (Bruce goes up every year and the only other time I've gone along was 2 yrs. ago.)

I do have to tell you about mackerel, though. First, they're a lot of fun to catch. I don't fly fish--Bruce is an expert and I get all tensed up about doing it right, even though HE doesn't care--but I've done spin casting pretty much forever and what's handy about mackerel is that they won't hit a fly for love or money but give 'em a 1-oz. lure and they're hooked! They hit nicely and then fight, swimming hard back and forth to try to shake the hook. When you pull them in they manage to unhook themselves pretty regularly, which makes it easier on the person(s) in your party who are willing to get slimed and covered with scales. Bruce volunteered so that I could just catch fish and it was a ton of fun.

Then, mackerel are beautiful. I don't think this photo really does justice to how pretty they are. Apparently they get more color as they're out of water for awhile; I know that looking down into the bucket I saw gorgeous cloudy mottling of blue and green. The irregular black stripes just add to their camouflage from above--it must outwit eagle-eyed eagles, I'm sure. And we did see eagles. Anyway, when you catch a mackerel, it flashes in the surf just beautifully--it is solid bright shiny silver from its midline down, so you feel like you're landing a sterling silver fish. They are pretty oily so it's not a fish I'm willing to cook indoors, but they're tasty so I'll keep one package of fillets and grill them. The rest go to John & Sue; they usually bring home up to 75-80 fillets but John was ill and couldn't fish this year.

Oh, for you fisherpeople? I did say 1-oz. lure. Actually the guys--mostly old farts--around me were all using 2-oz. lures but my rod couldn't handle that, Bruce said. And I probably would've dislocated something casting with something that heavy. But one guy told me that my 1-oz. was okay because the fish were being caught as close in as I was casting--the 2-oz. guys had to do a lot more reeling! So I did have fun.

But Bruce didn't get to fish very much. His targets are wild Atlantic salmon and Cape Breton is one of the few places left in the world where those fish come every year. Not so many, anymore, but they do come back. But with the rain, and then winds, his rivers were pretty much unfishable. We did go to "the other side of the island," to the Margaree River, world renowned for its salmon but he didn't fish it. It was a disappointing trip for him. And the ride home (it's 850 miles each way) was L O N G.

I'll try to get some photos to add to this--if they turn out, I'll edit this and add them in a few days. I'd like to go back to go all the way around the island again, and spend some time on the N.S. mainland too, in Halifax and Digby, etc. This trip is sort of a "working" trip for Bruce: fishing is what he's there to do so touristing around doesn't happen much. Maybe in a few years I'll go back; I told Bruce he's like the salmon. Every year he says this is his last year for the trip, but Cape Breton waters just call him back again and again.

Whew!

Boy, has this been a summer! These are things that made it into photos, or at least onto my calendar so I wouldn't forget to be somewhere at a particular time. (Y'gotta LOVE retirement.)

In June I gave what I thought was my last workshop, only to get a booking for May 2010. Sweet. June was also "Fireman's Day" in beautiful downtown Cadyville (which has only a post office and (volunteer) fire station--we don't even have a bar!) with parade and good food.



In July, my sister came to visit and we played touristas to places I'd either never been or hadn't been for years. Here's Alice at the Montreal Botanical Gardens. What a great visit.



Shortly thereafter I was in Omaha for a family emergency. No photos of that. Toward the end of the month Bruce & I went to Fort Ticonderoga, a trip he'd never made and I hadn't since my kids were about 9 & 10. (That would be about 20 years. Sigh.)



In August, both my daughters and both granddaughters came for a visit. Jenny isn't in this photo, but she stayed at her dad's so I didn't get many pictures of/with her.



In September, Bruce & I went to the NY State Fair in Syracuse. That was really fun, and another thing to cross off our bucket list. The photos below show the sand sculpture of the USS New York, apparently a trademark at the fair; Bruce with one of the huge warmblood horses in its stall; a small part of the miniature circus displays that just fascinated me; and a sort of overview of the fairgrounds.






Right after that there was the "Battle of Plattsburgh" quadricentennial celebration, with a re-enactment of the famous battle on Lake Champlain (in absolutely tiny and fragile-looking wooden boats), a period 18th century tavern, a big parade--for once--and fireworks. Quite the do for Plattsburgh. These are some of the re-enactors.




I also went to Tampa in September to babysit for the aforementioned grandgirls for 7 days & nights (that would be a whole week). Babysitting was just about what I'd expected. Only more tiring. Having been a working mom, I'd never really spent all day every day with the girls when they were babies. The first year in Plattsburgh, when I was home full-time, Emily was 3 & Jenny (who was too young then to vote against my desired Jennie spelling) was 18 mos., turning 2 midway through that year. So while I had one in diapers, she was mobile. Emily's house is two storeys as compared to my one-level and my knees got a real workout on the stairs! I actually got good a carseat straps and by the time I left I was getting Katie into hers without bumping her head ... or mine. The van with all the bells and whistles was nice, especially the start-before-you-get-to-it feature so the air conditioning was already working when I buckled up the girls. In 90+ degrees, that was a godsend. And so was the swimming pool! Everybody cooled off after a hot afternoon and everybody also got good and tired so bedtimes were a snap! I actually enjoyed myself but am considering the next job--I'm not so sure I'm up for a full week again. After all, we'll ALL be a year older then! But how could you not have a great time with this?




And now I'm packing to go to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, for two weeks.
No kids involved. Unless you count the dog. This is what it should look like again--the photo is from Oct. 2007.

It might get a little tedious when Bruce is gone fishing every day, but this year there are some other Plattsburgh women there with their husbands and I've been invited to join them for some day trips. That should be fun.

I think I'm ready for a do-nothing November!

Low Night

I'm feeling very fat tonight. Yes, I know I'm loved and liked and appreciated. But that doesn't take away the fact that I feel fat tonight. And last night. And today. And I know I'm not obese. But I want to lose 20 lbs, need to lose 20 lbs. (My doctor: "You're overweight.") And I've upped my exercise--I'm either walking or at the gym doing strength training 6 days out of 7 most weeks.

But I have to eat far less than I do. And I really don't want to do that. I know it's under my control and that no one can do it for me. But I thought I was doing most things in moderation. Apparently not.

And I cook for my husband, who can barely boil water without written instructions, each step numbered. I do make healthy meals; I just eat too much of them. I'm going to have to start using a sandwich plate at dinner. Boy, that sounds really exciting. I could go back on the South Beach Diet. That worked for me and I still lean that way, staying away from starchy carbs. Getting back off the sweet things again is clearly necessary.

See? I know what I need to do. I'm trying to find a way to do it. First rule has to be NPO from after dinner on. Except for water or diet soda.

Okay. Done whining for tonight.

Best news of the day? I'm not hungry right now. And next time I'll post about our State Fair trip. With pictures.

Meditative

I'm up late, having had two martinis and a bit of gin with the left over Mountain Dew that I bought for Jenny, and I watched the video Pete made for the grandparents. I just have to put down my feelings about this and the other ideas it engendered.

I am amazed at how beautiful the feelings of grandparenting are. Our best friend John (Bruce's fishing partner/pseudo-brother) became the grandfather of twin boys this morning--adding to his two + 1 step- grandchildren. He called us this morning, as excited as any parent! This, and watching the video (see below) have pushed me into thinking about generations.

I watched the excellent video Pete constructed from home videos. It included visits to the zoo & the beach, and also just regular weekends around the house. I thought about how much this would have been appreciated by MY mom, or MY mom's mom. She was the bold one, the one to leave the family acreage--that was gone when her family moved into Milwaukee from the rural "suburbs" of the '30s. When she & Daddy moved to Marshfield, her sibs thought she'd moved north of north. And while I'm sure she wrote faithfully, her sibs saw her on the annual (?) trips from Marshfield to Milwaukee that I remember. I doubt that it was every summer. I remember a few. And my experience mirrors hers, I realize just now, in that her husband's family came before hers always. Hence my multitudinous trips to Austin/Faribault, MN as compared to the almost non-existent trips to Marshfield, WI.

So I watched the video tonight. I'm so grateful that Pete has this skill! I've been lucky in my ability to "bop down" to Tampa so easily. I've been able to be a part of my granddaughters' development, and will try to continue it. But I know that it'll take effort on my part. My mom is a terrific role model for this: She came whenever I asked her--it wasn't often but when I asked I really needed her. And she didn't agonize over watching my two little ones by herself for 3-4 days. She survived the coldest winter on record in Plattsburgh; her 70th birthday in Plattsburgh while Chuck & I were in England; the H.S. graduations of two girls--she was there for both.

So I'm really looking forward to being "the one" for Kaitlyn and Courtney in September for about 10 days. And their parents can count on me to deal with whatever comes up and to savor every moment, as they'll be savoring theirs. This is the way to grandparent in the 21st century: The grandkids may not be just down the street, but they're only a flight away. I actually can't wait for this opportunity!

Visit

It was terrific to see both of my great daughters and then my two adorable granddaughters in one visit. I'm sure it was hectic for Emily--I remember doing those visits all summer long, schlepping all the STUFF that little kids need. The fact that Jenny was there to help with boarding and exiting the planes must have been a huge positive factor. I'm so glad that worked out for them both.

And the babies? What can I say. I'm sure that everyone who reads this blog has already seen the photos on my Facebook page (but I'll put one or two here anyway :P !) so you all know how really gorgeous those girls are. And if they're pretty to you, just think of how incredibly beautiful a doting Mimi thinks they are! They're as different as day and night, at least so far, much like my two were. And Emily is sick to death of my comparisons to her childhood but the similarities are inescapable for me. Kaitlyn is super-energetic, on the go all the time, and as bright as any smart little two-year-old can possibly be.


Her command of language is great and conversations with her are really fun. She's constantly adding words and expressions to her vocabulary, and her body language, when she imitates her mom especially, is a hoot!

Courtney is just so happy to be alive. She wakes up this way: open eyes, smile.


She's a terrifically engaged baby, intensely interacting with whatever it is that's interested her--the nearest person, her hanging toys, the toy she's working towards when she's on her tummy, whatever. When you talk to her, she's right there. She would be the perfect baby to star in a remake of "Look Who's Talking." You can actually see her thinking up her response ... and sometimes getting frustrated that she can't say the words! But a non-fusser for the most part.

The weather was horrible during their visit: 80s-90 with accompanying humidity, and of course few homes in the North Country have air conditioning, mine or their dad's included. AND to add insult to injury, he filled in his swimming pool last year! Of course it was the adults who were affected; the little kids just took it in stride. We just had to go to the park in the a.m. before the equipment got too hot to play on ... and then had to take a towel on the 2d morning because we had to wipe off the dew. The slides looked like they'd been under sprinklers.

My girls got to see some friends but I'm appreciative of the fact that this visit was more about family than friends. I wish I could have a photo or two of the three of us but that was just lost in the shuffle.



It was so nice, just so nice to have them both here at the same time, given that they're so far apart from each other and from me and Bruce. (And both little girls loved Bruce. He wasn't quite sure how to take that and I bonked him on the head--not really--and said they were his granddaughters too because he's married to me!) I'm not sure we'll have the chance for any more visits of this kind but I'd love to have the girls' spouses with them the next time. Maybe when I'm old and (ALL) gray!

And after everything was returned to the people we borrowed things from, and all the things we're keeping are stored away--tub toys, chalkboard, tiny table & chairs, I walked into my bedroom and saw this forlorn binky on my dresser. So I know they were here......

Downpour

It rained amazingly hard here last evening--looks like we got 2" in about an hour! And I didn't see or hear most of it, including apparently walloppingly loud thunder with lightning (Bruce said there was one where the flash and bang were absolutely simultaneous) because I was reading at the TV station in a studio that is obviously soundproof! The storm knocked the local NBC station off the air, ironically during the weather report. :) Bruce said that our front lawn was under water, something he had never seen in his 43 years in this house. WOW. But our basement stayed dry. I guess there was a small puddle below the take-out door to the chimney/fireplace because the rain had been driven down the chimney, and we have a cap on it to keep out critters! I didn't see any major damage on my walk this morning but there was a helicopter that I think was NYSEG's (NYS Elec. & Gas) checking the power lines for downed trees. I'm thinking our ground is now so totally saturated that any kind of wind will start pushing trees over because their roots are basically in mud. And because it's heating up outside right now, there will probably be thunderstorms later today. (I took this photo today; it's actually clouds across the lake where it's probably raining like crazy somewhere in VT.)

But as I sit here looking out my window, my garden is pretty ... and lush! Probably more greenery than usual but the flowers haven't done too badly, considering that during the months of June & July they were severely sun-deprived. I just wish there would be a few of the really pretty ones in flower next week when my daughters are here. Oh, well, if wishes were horses ....