OUR COMMON HOURS

Kelli Ann Wilson August 19, 2013

lubec // day three

On our third day of vacation we took a boat ride out into the Bay of Fundy. We were really fortunate to be able to charter the Lorna Doone (Downeast Charter Boat Tours), which is a small boat so we didn’t have to share it with anyone. We’re all introverts so we’re always going to choose the option that doesn’t involve interacting with strangers, if possible. Our captain’s name was Ralph and I’m guessing he was an introvert too because he was pretty quiet (which was great — there’s nothing worse than being stuck on a boat for several hours with some wise-cracking weirdo…my worst nightmare).

Taking a boat tour is a fantastic way to see the area without having to spend hours in the car. There are many beautiful islands to see, all with the quintessential “bold coasts” of the Downeast area. There’s also an abundance of unique wildlife. We got to see a bald eagle, some porpoises, and even a whale! One of the coolest parts of the trip was seeing the “Old Sow,” which is the “largest tidal whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere.” Photos and video can’t really capture how dramatic it is in real life. It is located in an area with a confluence of currents which causes the water to be alternately glassy or choppy, depending on where you look. I must say that it’s pretty eerie to pass through those areas of smooth water out in the middle of the ocean. At the end of this post I’ve included a short video of the Old Sow. Other than a brief period of seasickness for Lillia I think that everyone really enjoyed the boat ride, and I highly recommend the Lorna Doone if you’re ever in the area.

The Old Sow, Eastport, Maine from Kelli Wilson on Vimeo.

Kelli Ann Wilson August 17, 2013

lubec // around the house

Every year that I’ve gone to Lubec with my in-laws we have stayed in the same house. In fact, it feels like a second home at this point. The house is located on the West Quoddy Head peninsula, just a mile or so from the Easternmost point in the US — the closest one can get to Europe while still standing on land owned by one of the fifty states. The state park at the West Quoddy Head Light is one of my favorite places in Lubec (I’ll post photos of it later in the week). The rental house is an older home, with the owner’s photos and trinkets covering every wall and surface. Even though the original owner has since passed away, her daughter has left it mostly in the same condition that her mother did while she was living there. There are two large windows facing the water and at night you can see the lights of the town of Lubec sparkling on the other side of the channel. I thought it might be nice to post some photos from around the house and yard so others can get a sense of the place we enjoy so much — the starting point of all of our adventures.

Kelli Ann Wilson August 16, 2013

lubec // day two

The second day of our trip brought quite the adventure. We decided that we would try to walk out to the Lubec Channel Lighthouse (a.k.a. the Sparkplug). My father-in-law originally became interested in Lubec because he saw this lighthouse listed for sale (it was eventually purchased by someone else). Lubec has some extreme tides, up to 22 feet, and much of the seafloor is exposed during low tide making it possible to walk quite far into the channel.

We started out okay, but soon realized that our footwear was grossly (pun intended) inadequate. The sand looked solid enough from the shore, but as we walked further and further into the channel our feet sank deeper and deeper into what can only be described as “muck.” I am not a “muck” sort of person, and there were points when I thought I was going to scream and/or pass out from the sheer horror of walking (barefoot, out of necessity) through the very soft seafloor mud. It didn’t help that I knew just inches, maybe even centimeters, beneath my feet there were clams, worms, and any number of weird sea creatures that could bite me or, worse!, get stuck between my toes! Yuck!

The lighthouse is actually farther away than it looks and even at low tide there isn’t enough exposed sand to make walking all the way there possible, though we did get pretty close. Along the way we found all sorts of treasures: an abandoned clam rake; sand dollars; an old glass bottle; and a baby crab hiding inside a crab shell. Zane actually slept through most of the chaos, and I have to hand it to the makers of this stroller because it made it out there and back without getting too badly stuck (though there was a bit of a quicksand moment during the return trip). Now we have a story we will be talking about for years to come — and next time we’ll be bringing waders!

Kelli Ann Wilson August 15, 2013

lubec // day one

My husband’s family owns some land in Lubec, Maine (the Eastern-most town in the U.S.) and most years we spend at least a week there on vacation. It is a long drive — it usually takes us 9-10 hours — so the first day of the trip is mostly spent on the road. Last year we made the mistake of trying to drive in the night, which resulted in my husband feeling physically ill from all of the caffeine he had to ingest just to stay awake. This year we tried a different approach: leaving early in the morning (about 5:30am). We got to watch the sun rise as we waited at the Dunkin Donuts drive-through, but the early hour unfortunately meant that the little guy didn’t enough sleep or enough breakfast so he ended up getting sick, twice. But, we made it! It felt so good to get out of the car, stretch our legs, and gaze across the beautiful bay. And, we were even rewarded with a beautiful rainbow.

Kelli Ann Wilson August 14, 2013

mid-year resolutions

From “Late Summer” by Jennifer Grotz:

Summer lingers, but it’s about ending. It’s about how things
redden and ripen and burst and come down.

Since we’re more than halfway through the year, I thought it might be a good time to check in on the resolutions I made back in January. So, here are my goals and the progress I’ve made:

1. Paint the basement and put up the curtain walls.
// Making some good progress here! I’ve primed most of the walls, painted and semi-furnished Damian’s workshop area, and I have in my possession the dropcloths I’m going to use as curtains. I need to get some galvanized steel pipes to hang them from (they’re pretty heavy), and finish priming and painting the remaining areas.
2. Work on creating my “mom cave” so I can be creative without distractions.
// I did set up a nice craft/art area in the basement, but it is going to be a shared area for me and the kids. Now I’m working on creating a “cloffice” for myself in our bedroom. So far I’ve removed the old shelves, filled all the holes, primed, and painted. The last step is to buy the lumber and install the shelves and desk.
3. Finally finish college and have a graduation party!
// DONE!!!!
4. Read all of the books that I got for Christmas, before next Christmas.
// I’ve finished 3 out of 4!
5. Write letters to my grandmother once a month.
// I think I’ve done pretty well with this, though I’m not actually keeping track. It’s the gesture that counts. I’m also trying to be better about corresponding with friends and family, in general.
6. Stick to the budget I created last fall, which was completely disregarded in December…
// For this goal I’ve been all over the place. We had unexpected car-related expenses in July that totaled over $600 so that month the budget kind of went out the window. I am trying to be more aware of our finances, though. And, I try to update my budget spreadsheet on a bi-weekly basis.
7. Schedule time to be alone, time to be with my kids (individually), and time to be with my husband.
// Nope.
8. Put up pictures in the hallway.
// Not yet.
9. Work on Lillia’s ballet performance scrapbook.
// Argh! I need to do this!
10. Grow some stuff! (Vegetables, flowers, whatever strikes my fancy).
// I got some hand-me-down tomatoes from my parents and they have actually produced some fruit. Not enough to be more than passing entertainment for a toddler, but still…
11. See my friends at least once this year. I miss them.
// Still need to do this. My friend left me a message and I need to call her back!
12. Learn how to use my new camera — techniques and composition.
// I haven’t really worked on this yet. I would love to take a class.
13. Work on the Anna Maria Horner feather quilt (the only craft on this list, for a good reason).
// I doubt this will happen, but there’s still time!

I have a ton of pictures from our vacation to Maine, but I can’t do anything with them until I get my laptop back. It should arrive this week, so hopefully I will have a chance to work on that soon.