There must be a quote by some kind of sagely person floating around out there in the sea of collective wisdom that says something to the effect of "Life is better when traveling." If there is not, then I will be the person to declare that life is better when traveling. And by traveling I don't mean getting on a plane and flying across time-zones, or even staying in hotels. I just mean leaving your cats and your chores and your life behind for a little fun away from home.
Doug and I have had a bit of that lately. We spent the weekend of the October nor'easter in Provincetown and it was wonderful. Granted I was just coming down hard with a bad headcold, and we only had about five hours of dry conditions before the winds and rain kicked in, but we enjoyed each and every minute of being near the water.
We had such fun daydreaming about buying a small condo on the far east or west end of town and spending weekends near the water. I pictured myself sitting in a light and airy room with my sewing machine, sewing whatever new creation was inspiring me that day. Artists abound in P-town (even those that compose their art right on the beach), and Doug and I like the creativity in the air there (not to mention the fresh, ocean air).
I came home to a week of feeling like poo, which is what bad colds usually do to people, and unfortunately no amount of Halloween candy could make me feel better (believe me, I gave it my all). But the bright light at the end of the tunnel that week was a trip to New York City to see Doug's band play at Arlene's Grocery. Initially I was not that thrilled about seeing him play and then having to make the drive up to his parents' place in Monroe (I'm notorious for going to bed early), but I'm glad I stayed awake for it and paid my $10 in support of his cause.
Hot Molasses played well, considering that both Doug and Julia were sick. They looked good on stage, and, even though this wasn't their best show, they had energy and sounded so much better than the band that played before them.
Doug is funny about these shows. He acts like they are no big deal, but the need to debrief is always very strong. I'd like more Doug in the songs; more Doug-driven songs. A song about Puritans could be a great addition to the set list.
What was potentially more exciting (for me, at least) was walking around SoHo. This was my first trip there, believe it or not. I've been to NYC before but never to the Lower East Side, and I think I'll be going back. I made it to Purl SoHo and The Strand! That may have been worth the lack of sleep for me. I now have two and a half more yards of fabric to craft into something very useful
and have a souvenir from one of the most overwhelming (in a good way) bookstores I have ever been in.
How much are rents in SoHo? Could we afford to live there? I could get very used to walking the twenty or so blocks up Broadway between Purl SoHo and The Strand, though I may not have any money left for rent (or any room in my minuscule apartment for all the fabric, yarn and books I'd buy).
Keep traveling. That's what I say. Those are the words I will live by.
It's sad, but it's true - I mainly live for the weekends now. And what I mean by that is that the vast majority of the fun things that I post about here on the blog happen on the weekend. I really wish that weren't true, but it seems to be happening more and more now. My weeks blend together and the routines keep me busy, such that the spontaneous fun happens between quitting time Friday and late Sunday night. I'm sure I'm not alone with this window of fun, and I'm also sure I'm not alone in lamenting it.
So a couple of weekends ago, Doug and I crammed in as much fun as possible, especially on Sunday. I woke up early even for me - 6:05!- and I had the dishes washed, the cats fed and watered, and all my silver jewelry polished by 7am. I then watered some plants, hit the gym, and came home to shower (because we've been hit by a never-ending heatwave, one that won't release us from its humid grip) before Doug and I joined the hundreds of other people checking out the BSAAC's annual Endicott Show. We knew a huge event was happening, because on Friday night people were postering around the neighborhood about "No Parking This Side of Street," and the Porta-Potties were coming out in droves. We missed the show last year, but this year we managed to get in a good forty-five minutes before leaving to watch the World Cup final match in Maine. The Endicott Show is an antique show, but it's focus is not on Model Ts or those kinds of antiques. This one is a free-for-all. Anything that is technically an antique (which is, what - any car twenty-five years or older?) could be shown, and many, many of these cars were for sale. I really liked looking at the old cars, and the ones from the late 1950s though the late 1960s were my favorites, mainly because of the retro detailing. Check out these tires! And check out this great logo! It was fun, too, to see the different kinds of cars that aren't made anymore, like this Chevy Corvair bus/truck thing and this Ford Fairlane. My family actually had a Fairlane when I was young. I remember it - it was white with burgundy interior. I remember when it was taken away on a flatbed, too. We had several cars taken from our yard on flatbeds back in the day. It was always a sad occasion to watch them go. I always got attached to our cars, because I'd think about the fun places we went in them. I felt similarly when we got rid of the Subaru. I'm sure I'll feel the same if we ever get rid of either of the Minis.
So, that was last weekend. And then this weekend we spent two glorious, glorious nights in New Hampshire, staying at my aunt's cottage with my mom, aunt, cousin, and my sister's family. My aunt and my uncle have houses on Crystal Lake, and while we don't get up there much anymore (I feel like I've posted about this before... and I have. See all posts tagged "New Hampshire."), it's always so good to be there. We got a lot of kayaking in this weekend (and thanks to my sister and her family for letting us use the kayaks - and my life preserver!), lots of walking, lots of eating, a bit of swimming, and, of course, many hours spent together. The kayaking was great - Doug and my mom enjoyed their time on the lake and my sister and the kids did, too. Frankie, Maddy and Mike spent some time fishing, catching mostly sunnies, running out of worms at one point and needing to get more. I'm glad that Frankie and Maddy have no problem with putting the worm on the hook or taking the fish off the hook - those are the two main reasons I am not a fisherperson. Those and the fact that I'd rather be kayaking. Or reading. Or baking. Because in the middle of the kayaking and fishing and swimming and outdoors activities, Doug and I managed to get in a trip to the King Arthur Flour store in Norwich, VT. While there, I fancied myself a world-class baker, while Doug fancied himself King Arthur himself. It was a mighty-fine weekend indeed.
Welcome back, me! I've been absent from the blogosphere these past couple of weeks, mostly because I've lacked the time that it will take to do these posts I have planned justice. Plus, after the marathon post of my Memorial Day Weekend adventures with my family, I was a little tired of blogging. Let's hope this post is a little shorter, but there's a lot of ground to cover...
As some of you may already know, last weekend my mother and brother came up to visit. My mom arrived Friday afternoon and the sweet woman cooked Doug and me a wonderful dinner of roast beef, sweet potatoes and green beans. Anytime she wants to come back to cook for us we'll welcome her with open arms, because there's still something very comforting about a mother's home-cooked meal. But my mother didn't come up just to cook us dinner... no, we had other plans. After dinner we started to clear out the cat/sun room and also the kitchen to prepare for our transformation weekend. While we painted the cat/sun room last year during our painting week right before we moved into the house, I've never felt totally satisfied with it. Same with the kitchen, though we didn't actually paint that last year. I've just never felt satisfied with the yellow color; wasn't a shade I'd have picked myself. So, in an effort to get more of my life in order, I solicited my mother's help to get these two rooms painted (and we wanted to paint the kitchen wall, too, because thanks to the federal government we bought a new, fully-functioning refrigerator, microwave, and washing machine and wanted a fresh start with our new appliances). Here are some before photos of the two rooms in question; you'll note that my mom and I seem a little tired already... we're well aware of the work we have ahead of us:
My mother and I woke up early on Saturday morning to get started on our painting. Not only did we have to paint the sun room and the kitchen, but we had to wait around for all the appliance to show up. Our table for the cat/sun room was slated to show up first, so we wanted to get as much of that room done before the table was delivered. Luckily we had an extra pair of hands to help with the painting:
Once we got the first coat of the latte-like brown (called Shabby Chic) on that room we moved into the kitchen. This color was not so easy to paint - why again do I gravitate towards the deep, rich colors that require tinted primers and multiple coats? Thank god we were only painting one wall and the little entryway area. The color is called Raspberry Blush, and I thought it was going to be a lot more orange than it actually is - it is definitely in the raspberry family - but it works very well in the kitchen. Here's me painting with the tinted primer: We had to work faster in this room because the microwave was scheduled to be delivered and installed between 1 and 3 and refrigerator between 4 and 6, but we didn't start in the kitchen until about noon. No matter - my mom and I can be efficient when we have to be, and the microwave guy was late. This meant that the whole coat of primer was on the entryway, and I was able to get most of the kitchen wall done before the guy came with the microwave. That was a perfect time for some lunch, so here's a view of what we got to look at while eating:
Once the microwave and refrigerator were installed (and the new washer, which deserves a section all to itself), my mother went back into the cat/sun room to finish the second coat and I stayed in the kitchen to finish the primer. Here are photos of my mom doing a bang-up job with the paint brush, the refrigerator and the wall with the primer on itThe refrigerator is a bit blinding - and none of our magnets stick to the front of it! You can also see the new microwave in the photo of the primered wall... also very shiny.
The next morning my mom and I put the first coat of paint on the entryway and the kitchen wall, but because it was a beautiful day and because my bother had arrived, we decided to head over to the Blue Hills for a hike and then take in the new Star Trek movie. Both were great fun. My mother and brother love to hike, and I think they liked the trail we chose to go on, but I will say that Doug and I are terribly out of shape and were eager to stay on the easier trails. All trails are good, though - there are great views from this reservation.I don't know why we don't go there more often. Oh wait, yes I do. We try to cram too much stuff into our weekends, but never exercise and nature.
When we got home from the movie (loved the Spock character, and thought the Kirk character wasn't bad, either) I put the last coat of paint on the kitchen wall, and while that was drying and while my family was eating I started to put the house back together. It's amazing how disordered it got that weekend. We put the new table into the sun/cat room, so now we can sit there on the weekends and enjoy the windows.I also did an inaugural load of laundry in the new washer. This was really my favorite part of the weekend. Here's the old washer:Here's the new one:Yes, I do love my new washing machine. It's so much bigger than the old one, and it actually spins the clothes around and gets them clean! Miraculous!
Even though I have much more to write about and so many more pictures to show, especially of the finished rooms and the curtains I made for the kitchen and the pictures I hung on the walls in the sun/cat room, I'll end today's post with this video of my mom, Doug, and me watching the first load of wash in the new washer (can't use up all my content in one post!). We stood there for a good half-hour watching the clothes wash, even after the lid fogged up. It really doesn't take much to amuse us down here, and I will say that even after my 4th or 5th load of wash in this thing I am still a captive audience. (Warning - for those with young ears there is a perhaps age-inappropriate word at the very end of the video...)
