Silent Saturday

Camper Obsessing

When recently in McCall, I had Steve take me to an antique shop that I wanted to check out. When we pulled up the drive to the shop, I spotted this camper parked out front, and just knew that it had to be a Sisters on the Fly camper...and I was right! As it turns out, the antique shop wasn't open, but the owner just happened to be there, and she graciously unlocked her camper so that I could have a look inside. Unfortunately my dark pictures do not do it justice, but it was just adorable inside. Now, I am completely obsessed about "getting to work" on my tiny Cardinal.

Here is the tiny little kitchen. Gloria (the camper's owner) told me she is a "dry" camper, meaning that she does not use the propane stove, or the propane at all, for that matter. She prefers to cook over the camp fire. I'd have to agree with her there - - I have about zero interest in using a 45-year-old propane stove, even if I were to get the lines checked. No thanks!

Here is the dinette area. In this camper, the table folds down and the seats become an extra bed. My camper does not have a dinette area. The most important item on my wish list is a super comfortable bed, and in a ten-foot trailer, that will take up most of the floor space.

Here is the bed. Above the window you can see something that looks like a window shade. It is actually a hammock, original to the camper, which stretches out and hooks over the bed, for extra sleep space. So cute!

Seeing Gloria's camper really got me day-dreaming about all that I can do to my camper. I virtually have a clean slate, as it is pretty much empty on the inside, except for the kitchen. It will be a lot of work, but I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy doing it.

Before I can get to any of the "fun" work of decorating my camper, I have quite a bit of repair work to do. I have a leak to contend with, but in the dry Idaho climate, I'm not too concerned. Must attack that first, though. I also have some scary blue carpet to tear up, and a floor that needs some heavy-duty scrubbing. Next, I will post some pictures of my little gem, in the condition I purchased it in. Let the renovating begin!

A Little Get-Away

Steve, the boys, and I just returned from a mini-vacation in McCall, Idaho. We rented a house and spent a few days, just the four of us, and it was wonderful. I think I have an acute case of post-vacation hangover this morning. It was so nice to be away from everything and just enjoy each other's company. The cabin had no television, no phone, and no Internet, and I didn't miss any of them. None of us wanted to come home, except Griffin, who missed his toys. And now, I give you in no particular order, my top 10 favorite moments from our little adventure:

Our cabin. You wouldn't guess it from the outside, but the inside was gorgeous. I fell madly in love with the huge, open kitchen/dining room/living room. If we ever build a house, I want it to look just like this one on the inside.

Our canoe adventure on Payette Lake. We even saw a mama moose swimming and emerging from the lake. Only my second moose-sighting ever, and I'm from Maine!

The gigantic, deep bath tub.

Riding our bikes at Ponderosa State Park

Happening upon a real, live Sisters on the Fly camp trailer (more on that, later...)

Afternoon naps (it cracks me up how they are in the exact same position)

Digging in the dirt with my big boy

The dishwasher - - I do not have a dishwasher, and I have to say, it was soooo nice to not have to wash dishes by hand, 5 million times per day. Our rental also had a microwave - - something else I do not own - - but I kept forgetting to use it because I am so accustomed to life without one. This reaffirmed the fact that I can definitely get by without having one.

Post-dinner ice cream at The Ice Cream Alley

Having this guy all to ourselves, out of his nutty Army environment. No ringing cell phone. No distractions. It was wonderful!

Family & Friends

Steve's parents have been here for the past two weeks and we've had a nice visit with them. The boys have so enjoyed having their Gramma and Grampa here! Dev was able to help Steve complete the projects he wanted and needed to get done before he deploys, so I know that is a huge load off Steve's mind. We had great weather while they were here too, but in Idaho, the weather is always perfect!

We love the neighborhood we live in, and we are very lucky to have some wonderful neighbors. Margaret lives "across the alley" from us, and not only is she a wonderful woman, she loves our boys something fierce. She recently turned 70, so we had a little celebration with her the other night.

We love you, Margaret!

Nothin' Finer

This little guy loves boats. No, I mean he LOVES boats. He loves the ocean, too. Unfortunately, we live in a land-locked state (beautiful as it is). Fortunately, after all these years we've discovered a little sandy beach, not far from our home, where we can go and pretend we are at the ocean (I really have to use my imagination, but the boys are easier to please). Imagine Camden's delight a few nights ago, when we packed a picnic dinner, and jetted off to the beach when Steve returned home from work. Camden piled into his little boat and ate his dinner while drifting peacefully about. Pure heaven.

Bible School Drop-Outs

The boys missed Vacation Bible School at our church this year, because we were in Maine while it was being held. Luckily, our town has no shortage of churches, so we mosied on down to the Catholic church on Monday and signed up for VBS there. Keep in mind that Griffin Does Not Go Anywhere Without His Mother, so I was very proud when he willingly went (and stayed, without shedding a tear) on the first day. By the end of day two, however, he wasn't as happy, and by the third day, he cried hysterically when I announced it was time to get on over to "school". Camden, who was having a great time, was distracted by the knowledge that his grandparents are currently in town, and was afraid he was going to miss something if he was gone all morning, so by Wednesday, I had a couple of drop-outs on my hands. Cest la vie!

Some of you may have figured out (hi, Kate!) that I've had another blog for a few months now. I decided to keep a separate blog to chronicle Steve's upcoming deployment to Iraq, mostly so that I can have it printed in book form, once the deployment is over with. Also, I really wanted to keep this blog separate, because this is the space that I write about cooking, creativity, my boys, and my family. I don't tend to vent on this blog about the every-day stresses in life (because everyone has them, but who wants to read about them, really?), but I wanted a space where I could write honestly about going through a deployment. So, if you would like to read about that portion of our lives, then please feel free to stop by Way Out West: The Deployment Chronicles.

Did you see this article in the New Yorker? It really has my mind abuzz. Will try to organize my thoughts into a post in the next few days.

Maine Wrap-Up

It is hot, hot, HOT here in Idaho, but I am not going to whine about it, because it is also hot in Maine, but they have the humidity to contend with, too. I am in the desert, so I will just sit here and sweat and remember that it could be worse!

This week has blown right past the boys and I, and I really need to get my rear in gear because I have a lot to accomplish in the coming weeks. I think we all needed a week of recovery (doesn't everyone need a vacation from their vacation, when it is over??) but now that a week has passed, it is time to buckle down and get serious. So, today I will leave you with some highlights from our trip to Maine:

My attempt at a birthday cake, while away from home and my cake decorating supplies. Camden wanted a Lego cake, so here it is, complete with finger prints from various children. Certainly not the Titanic cake I made last year, but Camden was thrilled, and that was the only opinion that mattered to me! Camden was so happy to be able to have his birthday in Maine this year, and I'm very thankful to my parents for helping me make that happen.

Spending time with Jen. Jen, thanks so much for stopping in on the 29th to see me - - I know it was a short visit but it meant so much to me!

Spending time with this precious girl. My niece Violet is so incredibly sweet, and I enjoyed every second that I spent with her. A big thank you to my brother and my sister-in-law for all the driving they did, to make it possible for us to spend so much time with her. The boys adore her (Griffin could write his own blog post about that!) and they all had such fun together.

Spending time with old friends. We enjoyed a lovely evening at the Cox home in Bowdoinham...so great to visit with Tony and the girls, and to see Eunice and meet Wells.

Reid State Park. Camden went crazy for the ocean - - his first real "beach" experience. Out of all of the pictures I took in Maine, this is my absolute favorite. The kids had such fun that day...it was perfect.

The view from my in-law's house. Love this picture of the Sweet Pea one morning...

My 20th high school reunion...it was so much fun reconnecting with old friends. I had a wonderful time over the two days of events and am so happy that I actually remembered to take a bunch of pictures!

Making new friends. I had the pleasure of spending time with someone who I never knew in high school - - we planned the reunion together - - and it was great. Ironically, her married name is Heather Davis!

A great night out with my parents. A stressful day ended perfectly with dinner at No. 10 Water at the Captain Daniel Stone Inn (where our wedding reception was held), followed by an evening at the Maine State Music Theater, where we saw, "Always...Patsy Cline". Perfect.

More cousin time! The boys also had the opportunity to spend lots of time with their cousin Max. He is a sweet, smart little guy, and they had so much fun playing together. Every time I think of him now, I think of him yelling, "Uncle Heebie!!!" whenever he'd see Steve. Too cute!

The Maine Maritime Museum. The boys loved it, but Camden was crazy about it. The boy loves ships. I think we could have left him there and picked him up at the end of the day and he would have been fine with that.

Boothbay Railway Village. Another huge hit with the boys. Again - - could have plopped the boys on the train and left them there to ride all day long. We will definitely be going back, the next time we are in Maine.

The magic show at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick. We met Max and Dani there, and had the best time! Camden was tickled that he got to assist the magician.

Visiting Maine is always a bit tricky since both of our families live there, in that it is nearly impossible to fit everything in that we'd like to do. I think each time we go, we learn something new that will make our next trip a little easier. Throw two little kids in the mix, and we kind of just have to "go with the flow" based on how they are holding up. The boys did a great job, are good little travelers, and I'd say they adjust and adapt very well. I'm so proud of them!

As for me, I am really missing my morning walks with my mother. Luckily for me, my parents will be coming to Idaho in the near future!

Eating My Way Through Maine

When I returned to Idaho last week and started looking at all of the pictures I'd taken, I realized that I'd taken a lot of pictures of food. For example:

Amato's Whoopie Pie

Fresh Maine lobster (thanks, Mum & Dad!)

Pancetta peas from our dinner at No. 10 Water

Moxie (at Reid State Park, no less)

Whoopie Pie from the Vegetable Corner

No food in this picture, but can you guess where this was taken? Yes...standing in line for a hot dog at Danny's on the Mall in Brunswick (with ketchup, relish, and onions, thankyouverymuch)

Clearly, it is a crime to go anywhere near Brunswick, Maine and not make a stop at Fat Boy. I enjoyed a banana frappe and some onion rings, and boy oh boy were they good.

Food not pictured? My mother's delicious Italian sandwiches, the fresh haddock that my father-in-law prepared, the lobster crostini I enjoyed at Sea Dog, and the delicious gluten-free muffin I had at Wildflours Bakery...wish I'd managed to have one more of those! I can't believe that I didn't manage to eat a lobster roll while in Maine...that will be at the top of my list for my next visit!