Travel?

Bought this DVD set awhile back and we have been watching it here and there- and it is really interesting. Funny. I am enjoying it and we're on epidose 9 out of 10. I really like Charlie Boorman, he's a hoot.
Been starting to look for prices for Feb, vacation trip- want to go back to London and do more exploring- a bit out of the city too, but we could do Paris. In the US the plane fares are crazy. Of course, I feel so broke so I shouldn't charge another thing with the washer, dryer and freezer, but...oh now that I'm back to work travle bug has returned.
Another day at work. Was a tough morning to get up and get moving, but tomorrow is my last day of the week. As a teacher, you have to figure out how your classes are going to be. I love 99.999999% of my students, but sometimes you get a mix that is a challenge. Not sure about my classes for this semester yet-but had a great day. Keep you finger crossed.

The Kids Arrive Today

Real work again- the kids are back. Seem pretty good- for 1 day. It was chilly, feels like FALL, not late August, but that works for being back to school. Two more days this week and then the long weekend-my skylights are going to be installed and my friend Ina is coming to breakfast on Saturday. Looking forward to one last hurrah before school is really back in full swing and before fall really does arrive.

This book I've pictured- Queen of the Road- I can't put it down. It is EXCELLENT! Recommended-HIGHLY!

Back to School

Tomorrow I go back to school. Kids come in Tuesday, but we have FRiday off. Katie is off this week and goes back next Tuesday. Lucky her. I have mixed feelings about going back- hating to give up my freedom for the routine, hating getting up so early in the morning, glad to get back into a schedule, glad to see most of my co-workers, glad for some paychecks, and I do love my job. Oh, its just that summer gets you so out of schedule and out of work mode.

We had our junk supepr tonight-chicken, onion rings, mozzarella sticks and ice cream (I had a hot fudge sundae)-my tummy is gurgling but it tasted so good.

Reading a great book right now-its called Queen of the Road. About a 40's ish couple who take a year off and get a converted bus and drive around the USA. My dream- to drive around the USA.

Nice weather the last few days-had sun-time at the lake, dinner at Wolfeboro Bay Thursday right on the water-just like a tourist. Oh the joys of summer and dread of the up coming winter. People haven't stopped talking about winter and we did have some icky summer rain earlier this month. I'm still not over last winter- hope we have a great fall.

Above, a few more kayak pictures from last Tuesday. Also weird, Olympics from Beijing are now over.

More beautiful weather

Photos I borrowed from the Canabie Lake web site. Went yesterday and did my first un-side-down roller coaster-the corkscrew shown here. Always have been a big coward-and though you could tell you were upside down it was sooo fast, it wasn't a problem.
Now this ride- the extreme frisbee--woe. That was the scariest funnest ride- man,had to keep my eyes shut for half the ride-but I did it! I was having a brave day yesterday!

What a week! Gorgeous weather once Tuesday morning rain clear out. Today I puttered-had dinner with Vicky in Wolfeboro right on the docks at the old Bailey's Dockside place- and then had drawing-started faces tonight.

And tomorrow-that last day of my vacation. Then its back to work...where did summer go to?

Kayaking!

Last week of vacation (ALREADY!)- when the sun came out this afternoon it was windy and COLD, but still went kayaking in the marsh with my friend Jo and her sister Dianne. Here's a few photos from our adventure. So tonight I am chilly and sitting in fleece lined sweats and wool socks- brrr. Feel like October. Been working on my Halloween A-Z Ghoul guide book- is fun playing with those weird stamps. Tomorrow we are going to Canabie Lake Park-Dave's taking a day off. Finished People of the Book-what a great surprise ending that made me really like the book. Am rereading The Mysterious Affair at Styles- an old Agatha Christie that I read eons ago. Really like her books. Feel like I need to so some major cleaning-like the basement last weekend- but elsewhere around the house. Maybe its the cooler weather, the sun to remotivate me and the fact that I have to go back to school in less than a week. Wow.

Saturday!

OK, no photos, but we got the new washer and dryer hooked up-they look great against the newly paneled wall, and I am back in the laundry swing. Of course found out yesterday my freezer was about gone-cool but not cold, so we had to go out and buy a new freezer-as well as put a deposit down on some new glass for my skylights. OK, no more money-eeks. But otherwise, the basement got some good well needed cleaning and it was an icky afternoon with guess what-more rain.

What a beautiful day

After 2 more rainy days. Monday was a great day to hang and not get dressed until like 2 in the afternoon. Did go poke around Borders which I haven't done in ages and then dropped off Katie's car for the engine light AGAIN and had dinenr with my family at the 99. Yesterday-another morning rain-Katie and I went to see the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and urethaned the boards that Dave is using to fix up the laundry room so the new washer and dryer have a nice place to live. The washer comes tomorrow-can't wait as the piles are getting higher!

Fun photo above of the puddles on my gas grill out on the deck. And I mean there were puddles not just drops. I've had to empty water out of my plant pots they are so flooded.

But today-SUN! Thank goodness-the rain was getting to me. Went into work today-had my teeth cleaned at the dentist, brought 2 loads of laundry to mother-in-laws and got to really enjoy the SUN while they washed. Yeehaw!

Notice the 2 new stamp sets I got from Artistic Outpost- am getting ready to cut them tonight as I went to stamp store and got some more sticky foam sheets yesterday. Am watching Long Way Down- we're on episode 5 tonight. Love this.

Sun comes and then goes

Ok, I am going on about the weather too much- but its been that kind of year. First soooooo much snow and then this summer has been sooooooo wet, what else can you say? Here's a few photos from last Tuesday when we went to my brother's place in Maine and we had some fun on the lake with a bit of sun. Finally loaded them off my camera last night...

In HONOR of the SUN

Some shots from last Monday at work up at Merrymeeting. Wow!

Today we had the sun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cleaned out the laundry room and Dave's working on building pedistools

for my new washer and dryer (which replace my very reliable 19 year old ones because the dryer died last Monday). Did soem cleaning in the studio and actually worked up there too!

Nice day to hang home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will we ever see the sun again?

These photos are in honor of how much I love sunny days which we have not had all week. In fact, its been raining and raining and raining- not just clouds. I took these photos 1 1/2 weeks ago when my friend Joanne and I climbed Belknap Mountain in Gilford, NH.
This week has been SOOO busy. Haven't had a chance to download any of my photos yet. Tuesday dave took the day and we went to my brother's summer place in Harrison, Maine on Long Lake. Was very pretty and a fun day visit. I'd never been up by Sebago Lake and Long Lake so it was a new adventure. Have plenty of photos to show you. Wednesday we took Katie's car back to get a check engine light fixed (though its back on again)- dropped it off and went shopping in Nashua. Katie's friend Kristen came and I dropped them at the mall after we eat at Denny's (because they didn't remember eating there ever) and I did a Costco run and a Trader Joe's run. Wednesday night we watched the Bob Dylan film where Cate Blanchette played a great Dylan which Kristen had bought. Thursday we went to the an 11:30 a.m. Mummy showing-was a fun movie, went and bought a new washer and dryer at Home Depot, then buzzed off to drawing class. Today, road into Manchester with Dave to get Katie's car, but had to wait so I took Dave's car and drove out to Rubber Stamps of America in Dublin, was fun BUT meant to snap a photo of the sign on my way out and totally didn't do it. Got 45 seconds unmounted stamps for $9 and had all the Ken Brown stamps 1/2 which was great.
Haven't been home all week it seems. Tonight I cut and mounted all my seconds stamps but haven't read since I finished Lean mean Thirteen Monday and haven't been in my studio since Monday either. And it was a very open week-go figure.

ART!!!!

YEAH! Some art. Made these cards a couple of weeks ago and I love them! Tried to post them Monday night but Blogger wasn't uploading and since then life has gotten BUSY-day in maine with my brother and his family, shopping yesterday-we had to drop Katie's car off for a small fix- and of course-its been RAINING-what's new? Also, my druer died...ugh. Not that it owes me anything as its 19 years old and I get something more efficient...but needed to look. So do I get what a want- a big LG steam cleaner, or go for something more affordable for the moment?

Katie's car!!!

Here's some photos of the new family car. Katie will be able to drive it so we can have our cars, but technically its my car if I need it!. Its a 2001 VW Jetta with 85,000 miles and in excellent shape. She's thrilled! Its also a very funny photo of Dave.
Took a class at Absolutely Everything with Dave Brethauer from Memory Box on watercolor painting. Man, I really had no technique before but now I am informed. Was a great class for a Sunday morning and a great day for shopping too!

BOOKS

What a week. Between Tuesday hiking up Mt. Belknap with Joanne and having lunch before that on Alton Bay, bookclub that night on my screen porch-fun but a sore heel from the hike. Wednesday was off to visit my mom for the day and a late stop at Costco. Thursday-rainy AGAIN and hung out at home and took a LONG nap before drawing class and Friday was the Wolfeboro Street Fair to benefit the local hospital. Last night Dave bought Katie a 2001 Jetta and we went to get it today...I do have photos and actually it is our car but she will drive it so we have our cars. Wow. Mailed out cards to Stamper's Sampler and bought some COOL Halloween stamps on StampDiva, and tonight Dave and I are watching the VHS X Files Movie from like 1998, thought I was getting the DVD for 94 cents but bought the VHS actually. Enjoying it though-have seen it- loved this show.

ANyHOW- bought a bunch of books at the street fair pretty cheap and figure it helps the hospital. Lets see how many I can read-

• Iriving Stone's The Origin about Darwin
• Jame's Michener's Poland-I've read a lot of his books a long time ago and enjoyed them, but haven't read this one
• A Tale of Two Cities- thought it might be nice to have on hand and reread since I haven't read it since 10th grade-and that's a LONG LONG time ago
• Sarum by Edward Rutherford-loved the London book I read of his last year
• the Eight by Katherine Neville-Joanne had spoken of this book so I'm going to try it
• Daphe du Maurier's Rebecca-a very ancient copy
• Agatha Christie's So Many Steps to Death-another ancient copy with all my rereads of her books
• PD James Original Sin- not sure if I read this book eons ago, but I've read a lot of hers and the plot did not seem familar
• Elliot Roosevelt-Murder at the Palace
• Ken Follett-A Dangerous Fortune-a like new hardcover for $2- and I loved the cathedral- but this is just as long but sounds great about a Victoria disaster at a boys school
• Anne Perry-Defend and Betray- another book I my have read as I read lots of hers eons ago, but doesn't sound familar either
• Agatha Christie hardcover with Murder at the Vicarage and Sleeping Murder-I probably have these stories in paperback, but can't find them easily in the attic and with my rereading of her books project
• Same as above but Curtain and The Mysterious Affairs at Styles- I think her first and last 2 Poirot books
• Another Anne Perry-Seven Dials- again I might have read it but can't really rememebr right now from reading the jackets.

Also got a couple of books for my art-one had cool old Christmas images, one had old plant illustrations and 1 was a travel brochure from Stockholm in 1955- even before my parents got married and traveled there, and LONG before I went there in 1985.

And right now I am reading a paperback copy of Janet Evanovich's Lean Mean Thirteen that I got at Costco Wednesday...haven't read any of the Stephanie Plum books since book 10 and am enjoying this a lot, same old characters, same old fun.

Will post car photos and hiking photos soon, and even some card photos which are on my camera...have fun with the rest of your weekend