Another Weekend

Well here we go with another week. It's still hot here. We keep getting up in the 90s and there is very little rain. With all the hurricanes flying around you'd think we'd get a little something-but nothing. We have had the odd rain shower but nothing of any consequence. The drought in the Upstate has been upgraded to disaster status (mainly on account of the farmers-so they can get federal relief) but there is no talk of restrictions (some lakes are 15 feet below their normal levels). I haven't washed the car but have toned back the lawn watering. It still bugs me that I have to do it at all but I am trying to minimize it. One of the deals in the lease for the house is that I won't kill the grass. Isabelle is at school half days now and seems to really enjoy it. The Montessori School is very different than we are used to. The style of teaching is hands off and the children decide what they want to study. I think Isabelle has come in with a good base and is really enjoying having some structure in here days. I know she's been going to bed earlier and sleeping much better. Last weekend was a relatively quiet one. We put in a visit to North Carolina after stopping at Sunfrift Adventures in Travelers Rest. Sunrift is a great paddling and outdoors store and they were having their annual rental blow-out. There were about 200 kayaks on the lawn, along with 20 canoes, 100 bikes, and a field full of tents. Along with all the other gear and clothing it was a sight to behold. I didn't buy anything but had a good time just looking around. We did end up going to another outfitter in North Carolina called Diamond Outfitters and Jane finally found a pair of walking shoes she can wear. I bought a pair of day hikers. Finding narrow sizes for Jane and size fourteens for me is a whole lot easier here than in Nova Scotia. I can even shop the bargain bins and do very well. After a quick picnic lunch on the Blue Ridge Parkway and a quick walk through downtown Asheville (we're going to need a full day or two in Asheville later on to do it justice) we headed home. Isabelle promptly fell asleep in the car so the trip home was very quiet indeed, except for the snoring in the backseat (from both Isabelle and Maggie! On Sunday we headed downtown to the play ground in Cleveland Park. We took along Isabelle's bike, that way she could scoot along as we walk some of the trails with Maggie. On our route we stopped by what could be the cities only dog park. There were lots of dogs there cavorting and carrying on, but of note were two German Shorthaired Pointers. They were beautiful but one was very young and had a whole of growing to do before he fit into his paws. The last item of note is the family membership to the YMCA. The Golden Strip YMCA is located a few miles from home and hopefully will lead to a healthier and more energetic Melanson-Sodero household. They aren't a huge facility but have much to offer. I'm looking forward to getting back to my Canada Games weight if at all possible. I don't think the volleyball will be any good but I hope to get ready for the kayaking season (which seems to be most of the year down here!). Next post: Grass Woes :-(