Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Isabelle, Sammy, and Jane (and Maggie too) got in a week ago Saturday. Since then we've had a busy week. Jane and Elizabeth have done a good bit of shopping and we've had some good weather. We've also had some interesting weather with the usual thunder, lightning, and rain. The first order of business this week was getting the air-conditioning fixed in the Jeep. It seems Jane had a run in with some pebbles or something on the highway near Boston and put some holes in the condenser. They had it looked at in Connecticut but had to wait until they got home to fix it. It made for a long drive with the windows open but they managed. In the end it made them stay in the mountains so they had a very picturesque drive. Tuesday night we went out to see a ball game. Greenville has a very nice ballpark-Fluor Feild-that was voted one of the best in the country a few years ago. Anyway the park may be good but the home team, the Greenville Drive, seems to be a little less than great. They certainly didn't have a good day and ended losing badly to Charleston. The game itself was fun. It was Greenville's birthday so everyone got a T-shirt and there were lots of other activities. Isabelle also got a ball when one of the Charleston players tossed her one of the warm-up balls just before the game started. Once the game did start Isabelle really got into it and even danced with the music between innings. We only stayed until the seventh inning but just before we did go we did get our pictures up on the jumbo-tron. I suppose it was a good way to finish the night.

The Drive plays at home this week and next so we may get out to the game again. We also ate at a few new places downtown. If I get a chance I'll post the reviews in the next few days.

This weekend things were pretty good. We went out to eat downtown on Friday and out to the markets on Saturday. Elizabeth left for Halifax on Saturday afternoon and we went to check on some furniture we ordered a few weeks ago. It looks like it will be delivered this week so the guests who come to visit won't need to sleep on the mattress on the floor anymore. Today we took it easy and went out to another flea market. This time it was the Barnyard Flea Market in Greer. It was cleaner and much better organized than the Jockey Lot. They also have a few more locations we may try to get to. I liked that it was all indoors (out of the sun) and had lots of good parking. Maggie wasn't allowed in so we left her at home. Tonight is a slow night of catching up on the Olympics. The American network NBC has some great coverage but the focus is clearly on the Americans-understandable. It's been hard to watch any Canadians but at least we have the Internet.

The Video

Just a test to see if I can figure out how to post video...let's see.

This is a short video of Isabelle at Milford. Wait until the end for her big finish.

If You Don't Like the Weather

It is still hot here although the weather is punctuated by spurts of extreme weather. Daytime highs remain in the mid to high nineties, and they tell me it won't let up until mid September.

Yesterday was cool-the weather, not the temperature. As I headed for bed I remembered I'd been so busy all evening that I hadn't checked the mail. When I went out I was amazed to see an incredible display of lightning, without the thunder! It was a very high up and mostly the flashes went from cloud to cloud. Every now and then one hit the ground. The whole thing was putting a show of pink, red and green that just incredible. I only wish I could have taken some pictures. The weird part was the lack of thunder. It must have been too far away.

Tonight, I was just about ready to go out and mow the lawn. The girl next door had actually started. All of a sudden, practically without warning, it starts to rain, then it pours! I just had a look at one of Maggie's dishes that I left outside and it is already about half full. That makes about 1 inch of rain in about 15 minutes. It's also sunny just a few hundred yards over. These are very isolated showers! My only issue now are the gutters. I need to find a way to get them cleaned-no small task since I got rid of my ladder and left it to my father while I'm down here. I didn't think I'd need it.

Tomorrow is looking good too-the forecast is for severe thunder storms. It could be an exciting night. I must say I'm enjoying the weather so far but I'm sure it will get old.

This week's project has been the mulch in the front of the house. I managed to spread over 25 bags of mulch on three beds. The whole thing looks much better now and it will make things easier when we mow. I still have two beds to sort out-the base of the tree and the mailbox. Hopefully I can get to those this weekend before Jane gets back.

Jane, Isabelle, and Maggie left Halifax this morning. They stopped by in Saulnierville and took in the Children's Parade at the Acadian Festival. They should be just about getting off the ferry from Yarmouth to Portland as I type this and will take a few days to make their way along the Atlantic coast and down to South Carolina. This time Elizabeth is along for the ride. It should be a grand adventure.

Lastly, here is a note and some pics for the Privateers out there (you know who you are). This is a shot of the back of the car. Note the stickers, particularly the skull and crossbones. I figure it's a way of expressing myself down here. Everyone seems to have a bumper sticker of some kind on their cars and SUVs. Anyway, these are mine and I'm looking for more. Now that I get to drive the old Subaru everywhere I've taken to making it my own. I even tinted the windows-more for the heat than for the effect.

The North and the South

Well its been a busy couple of weeks. As some of you know we took a big road trip to Nova Scotia at the beginning of July. Jane and I drove back and took the ferry from Portland Maine to Yarmouth with Isabelle and Maggie. The purpose of the trip was both business and pleasure for me. I had a week in the plant in Waterville and then we had a week at Milford House near Keji. We also put some time in at my parents place in Saulnierville. We did the usual visits and even saw my Uncle Gilles and Aunt Penny who were visiting from Saskatchewan. Of course we went to all the local Frenchy's. The drive up was long but nice. We saw lots of beautiful country and managed to squeeze in a little fun and shopping too. We did really well at an LL Bean outlet along the way. Some of the driving here is just wonderful. What the Americans call parkways are just that-a great way to see a park on your way somewhere. Here is one near New York. Jane will know exactly where it is. All I know is that it is just after the Tappan Zee Bridge. It had all these great old bridges across it. Our week at Milford was great. I'd never spent a week on real vacation before and it was nice to relax, canoe, swim, and eat. I think Maggie even enjoyed it. She even got her belly wet, although I had to carry her in for her to swim. Most days the water in the lake was just perfect. Cool and refreshing on the bottom and bathtub warm on the top. The cabin we had-Hollow-had a great dock with a nice walk into the lake. The bottom was clean and it was very secluded. Even the flies weren't too bad. Isabelle practiced her floats and bubbles and even managed to learn how to do the crawl. It was amazing to see how well she can swim. I haven't seen her swim on her own in a while because I couldn't go to her last swimming lessons at Acadia. She sure enjoys the water, although Maggie gets worried when everyone leaves her on shore! (You can see her in the background above.)

While at Milford we caught up with some friends we hadn't seen since last year at Milford. Isabelle had a great time but was really sad to see them go. Oh well, there's always next year.

Now one of the problems with Isabelle is that she hardly ever stays still long enough for a good picture. I don't know how we managed this on but it seems to be one of her better ones. I think I took it near the main lodge at Milford one morning.

Isabelle discovered the library while we were there. She really got into a few books. Here is another good picture of her.

Now, as for me, I left Milford late on Saturday night via Taryn-Thanks again ;-) and made a break for The Inn on the Lake. After four hours sleep I was up and to the airport for a 6 am flight. It was nice getting home by 10:00 but I don't think I'll be doing that again.

This week I managed to finish up the rest of my paperwork. It too wasn't easy. I had to wait until now because my visa, also known as my I-94 card, had been destroyed in the wash on a particularly bad day in my old apartment. Anyway, armed with a new card and all my paperwork I headed for the Taxation and Probate building here in Greenville. You see, here you pay taxes on your car every year like you do on your house. In my case it wasn't much but it had to be done so I could register the thing. (I've been driving on NS plates for almost two 45 days and that is the limit for out of state registration.)

Thankfully the process was easy and quick but what I hadn't counted on was locking the keys in the car! Even worse, the ignition was one so the air conditioner was chugging away! Luckily one of the programs I enrolled in here for our insurance had roadside assistance so I was on my way in about 45 minutes.

After that I went up to the DMV and got a new set of plates, tags (stickers for the plates) and a temporary drivers licence printed on yellow paper (go figure), valid until they mail me mine in four to six weeks. Thankfully that is it for now. The only thing left is for Jane to get her licence.

Now I just sit back, go to work everyday, do lots of yard work, and wait for Jane, Isabelle, Maggie, and Elizabeth to drive down next week. It sure will be nice to see them again.

Canada Day in the US

We took part in an interesting celebration with lots of fellow Canadians. The Canadian Consulate in Raleigh, NC had a Canada Day party for anyone who wanted to come. The party was downtown in Greenville at Cleveland Park. There were lots of free hot dogs and sodas. They even had hats, tattoos, pins, and bracelets for the kids. It was interesting to talk to all the other people who came. There were a few Michelin types (some I knew, others I didn't) and lots of french speaking Canadians. As many as a third were from Quebec or other areas. The party was dog friendly-which was good for Maggie-and there were lots of kids for Isabelle to play with. Work has been interesting. I've been on my own and preparing for a trip to Nova Scotia. Work without my trainer has meant complete immersion. I've learned more in the last few weeks than in the first little while. In some ways I'm surprised at how much I know-in other cases I realize how much I have to learn. The Fourth of July has come and gone. It was interesting to see the colours and festivities. There were fireworks on the evening of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th! They really seem to celebrate here. The fact that it was on a Friday made for a long (and extra long) weekend for lots of people. There were lots travelling but in general the roads weren't too bad. The office was pretty empty though! It's amazing the amount of fireworks available here. A dozen or so small shops popped up everywhere. By the 4th they were offering buy one get one free. I didn't take part but I wonder how much money is spent and goes up in flames.