mosquitoes

Memorial weekend. The start of summer barbecue season. Even though we have been grilling since April, this weekend was special. The flowers are in, all the furniture is on the front and back porch, the hammock is out and the sun is truly warm. Oh sure black flies and misquotes are here too but we just pour on the citronella.
Kicked off the weekend Friday night with a BBQ, Toni came over.
Ingrid made Pa Thai and lemon sorbet on Saturday (which was delicious)
Ernie and Jill came over last night.....
I grilled.
Had a great weekend.

This is what our house looked like on Tuesday (CAF's b-day). You can see CAF saying hi to Walter.

New roof, or should I say:

N$E$W R$O$O$F

Please don't let it rain for a few days.

We moved to an island, population 1500-ish, woods, ocean and our little lives. After seven years of living here I see that our world has expanded much larger than anything I imagined (and my imagination is note worthy).

Last night was the grand finale of American Idol (that's right I watch). I pictured the posse: Ingrid, Toni, CAF and I in our pajamas with popcorn watching the show from our family room like we do every Tuesday night.
But by virtue of our vast diversity and knowledge of New Orleans culture, CAF and I were called upon by the Opera House gals to escort Bennie Pete (the Hot 8 Brass Band leader/tuba player) and Shamarr Allen (Shamarr Allen Band trumpet player) to dinner. Of course we were thrilled to spend time with these excellent NOLA musicians. We met them down at the Harbor cafe where they ate their first lobsters. Really nice guys, we had a great time talking about Katrina, music, fishing among other things. My life in this tiny village just keeps getting more interesting.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAF. Look, I finally made you a birthday cake. Love EW.

I couldn't sleep the other night because I forgot to add Axman to the list of fun places we went in MN last weekend. Axman is an amazing salvage store where among the crazy thing we saw we bought:

little plastic boxes-green ones, hot pink ones and yellow,
corks,
4 pairs of good quality pliers,
plastic rulers,
sheriff badges,
a dozen colorful little rubber gourmets,
all different kinds of LCD flashlights for under $2.00 we bought 8 (one says "Baptist Health" and has a green light),
a few American flag lapel pins in baggies stamped "Made in China",
Cocktail toothpicks with plastic olives on the end,
a "Cowboy" deck of playing cards,
a little stainless steel toothbrush holder,
4 yards of retro-colored webbing which I will use to re-do our outdoor folding chairs,
4 extra large key rings,
5 orange washers large enough to be bracelets (which they are right now),
2 empty squeeze-tubes that I plan on filling- one with peanut butter and one with jelly.

Our total was $34.00

J and D bought us a little black case with an embroidered yellow and rhinestone crown on it for our cell phone. J got one too. Made by "Phony Girl"

Then we went to "Cupcakes" for coffee and.....guess

Went to Minneapolis MN over the weekend. Three days of laughing.
Went on the St. Croix pottery trail in the pouring rain.
During our time in the twin cities we saw:
a waterfall,
a flight of wine,
a bronze Indian (Native American),
a lot of pottery,
a Haven,
the two Julies,
a really big dog named Carl
an odor-rama of spices,
a bunch of red sox,
several fish tacos,
an alpha-hydroxy neck cream,
a grand studio,
2 bonfires,
a woman eating chicken on the plane
but best of all, 2 best friends.
Came home smiling with refreshing springtime pep.

"You are so lucky" someone said to me

"Yes I am" I replied "And the harder I work, the luckier I get".

This is my favorite saying.

Last night CAF and I went to Thai Hut II where, for some strange reason they give you a fortune cookie at the end of your meal. My fortune was "Good Luck is the result of good planning" which put me in mind of this thought. The fortune also said my lucky numbers are 7,10, 20,26,29, and 38.

Oh I forgot to mention that Julie, Doug, and Rich did a wonderful job singing in the concert Friday night, it was a terrific performance by all. Thank you. And one more picture from my walk with Betty Sunday morning.

These photos are from the sweet stormy chill of Sunday morning May 4th just before the rains came.

Yesterday Betty and I took a walk out at the Haystack campus. CAF had to clean up the clay studio from her workshop on Saturday. She taught all day then jumped in the car, dashed home, changed clothes is 2 minutes (I timed her) and we sped off to Bangor to see the live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion.
I packed sandwiches for dinner along with some coffee, chips and chocolate. I packed sliced apple and cucumber too, but we didn't eat that. We had the BEST time ever starting with our sneaky quick parking down a dead end neighborhood side street next to the auditorium. We made it to our seats on time... lower first balcony center, right above the huge sound board. The show was perfect, Garrison sang to us before it started, poet Maxine Kumin read, the David Mallet Trio sang "inch by inch, row by row..." and 5 generations of Maine fiddlers played their heads off. We loved every second ! Even the ride home was fun. We picked up a six pack and drink a beer when we got home at "The Kitchen Stand" along with hot nachos and salsa.

Friday night we went to Blue Hill to hear the Bagaduce Chorale concert of the Holocaust Cantata and Requiem to help celebrate (or mark I should say) International Remembrance Day (fun).
I didn't want to go, afraid my back would not enjoy two hours in a church pew and the subject matter didn't grab me. But I had had a dream the night before that I got to sit next to my dad at the concert, so I didn't want to pass up the opportunity that it might come to pass, so I went. Dinner was sweet with S, S, and G, CAF and me eating pizza and talking about the Holocaust and such, to get us in the mood.

That catches you up, I taped the Sunday re-broadcast of Prairie Home and the cold rain inspired CAF and I to have a sweet afternoon off: nap, soup and movie (the golden compass) no computers or desk work.

Oh did my dad show up in spirit or flesh? Well not at the concert Friday, but in the singing of "you are my sunshine" Saturday, which the entire audience sang as rehearsal before the broadcast then to the whole country at the end of the show.
Joe sang that song with his little daughter many many times including Saturday night.