Columbus Day Weekend 2007: Thumbnails

The -sad but as inevitable as the seasons turning- shutdown of the cottage took place over the Columbus Day weekend.

Saturday was unusually warm, and nearly everyone actually spent the day in the lake. That was a first for October in ME! Later we went to a little Harvest Fest for the kids down at Pemaquid Beach. They get to run around in hay bale mazes, paint pumpkins, listen to a band and eat their way around.

The remainder of the days were in and out gray and sun, drizzly and cool.

The dock removal Sunday was fairly uneventful. We haul it out using a tow strap and one of our trucks (the land slopes down to the lake so horsepower is a requirement), and either Chris or Sarah is in the driver's seat. That's the best part: we yell things at them and make confusing hand gestures regarding what direction to go, whether to stop, etc. It usually degenerates into said spouse getting PO'd, offering their own hand gesture, and walking off in a huff.

Yet, we still do it every year

Unfortunately nearly all the kids arrived with some illness (excluding myself and Christina). When you have a family of 9 in a small space, half of them kids who cough, sneeze and otherwise eject various examples of bodily functions (usually near your face) on a regular basis...well...let's just say Chris and I are probably in trouble.

And yes, there was a-pukin' as well

Sigh.

Pumpkins and a-pukin'. Fine autumn fair.

Sunday we took the kids back to the beach, but this time to do a little crab hunting. A fun thing for the little ones to do (great idea Karl!): take a minnow net, put a couple pieces of cheap hot dog in it and pinch the net closed. Tie a long string onto the handle and toss into the shallows, then wait for the crabs to get a whiff and come calling

Monday was a pumpkin carving competition in Damariscotta, as well as the annual Pumpkin Regatta (see http://www.mainelincolncountynews.com/index.cfm?ID=27957 and http://www.wlbz2.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=72071 ).

Darwin, considering how new he is to us and everything in general, traveled the 6 hours up to ME (damn traffic added 2 hours to the trip) curled up and asleep, and fit right in to the family chaos once we arrived. He's proving pretty resilient when he is inside. Things outside, especially men and loud noises, still spook the bejesus out of him. I spent most of our walk around Damariscotta Monday with him slung over my shoulder shaking like a leaf. That sure looked manly.

Afterwards we took a nice hike through an old orchard which leads down to some ancient and historic oyster shell middens ( http://www.maine.gov/doc/parks/programs/history/whaleback/index.htm ). These are only a few miles from us, but in the 18 years I have been going up there we've never actually visited them