| 6/9/2010 |
Lexington, MA |
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Today we had another fun adventure. We left Lexington about 8:45 a.m. and slogged through the rush hour traffic down to Hingham to pick up Barbara. Then we continued south to the Plymouth area to tour the 2010 HGTV Green Home. What fun!
We loved pretty much everything about the first floor, and LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the mud room, the wraparound porch, the patio, and the outdoor kitchen. The upper floors were nice, but had a few misses along with the hits. The hit of the second floor was the master bath. It was spacious and well-lit from high windows on three sides, with double vessel-style lavs, a steeping tub, huge walk-in shower, and separate W.C. A note of whimsy was the faux shingled roof that extended over the shower area.
Some of the other features were too much decorator influence rather than practicality. The bed in the master bedroom was beautiful, but only a full size. We decided it would be possible to put in a queen if you replaced the night tables with something narrow and wall-mounted. And the kids bedroom was odd. It was way too small because of the space devoted to the ensuite bathroom. It didn't have a proper closet, there was very limited storage, and no desk. The bunk beds were cute, but it was a tiny space for two active kids. I think it might be possible to convert to a decent guest bedroom with a full-size bed using a little creativity.
The tower room is tiny -- only 6 1/2 feet by 11 feet and contains a desk/table and a chaise. Not a very effective use of space, although the light from all four sides is nice.
Overall the furnishings in the house were a lot nicer in person than in photos. The fabrics were beautiful. Our only complaint is that it was "over-decorated". I think that if I were living there, I'd start gradually un-decorating until I got rid of about 10% of the accent items.
Anyway, we wouldn't turn it down it they decide to give it to us! I think it would be quite a comfortable place for two people to live.
After our tour, we also visited one of the Pinehills model homes right next door. It was also cottage style and very nice, but without the charm of the Green Home.
From there we headed back north to the Plymouth historic district. The grrlz were able to join us on the patio of the Lobster Hut for our nice seafood lunch. They enjoyed the french fries we got them. Afterwards, we walked around a bit so that I could see Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II. The others had all been to Plymouth many times, but they indulged me.
We got back to Lexington about 3:30 and Chris and Joan both crashed into full nap mode. Not being a good napper, I headed out to the grocery store to pick up a few supplies. I think it will be an early night, however. [Heather] |
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| 6/12/2010 |
Keene, NH |
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Early Friday morning, Joan called me to the window and we watched, amazed, as a LARGE tom turkey wandered across her back yard. He was tall enough to drink out of the birdbath while standing on the ground!
A little before nine, Chris and I and the grrlz headed off on a road trip. Our destination was Keene, NH where I am judging a rally obedience trial and the grrlz are competing. First, though, we had a fun day exploring.
Initially we headed up to the Lakes region of New Hampshire where I visited a quilt store to buy fabric for one of my summer projects. Then we headed back south and dipped across into Vermont for a stop at the King Arthur Flour Baker's Store. After a delicious lunch at the bakery counter, we browsed the store and, of course, found a few kitchen goodies to purchase.
We reached Keene about 3:30, checked into the hotel and relaxed for a bit. About 5, we went over to the trial site to set up the crates and take a couple of practice runs with the grrlz. Afterwards, we met up with some rally friends for dinner in the hotel steakhouse restaurant.
Today we had to get to the trial about 7. The briefing was at 7:30 and Kira was the first dog on the line a little before 8. It was a reasonably successful day -- Kira had four nice qualifying runs in Levels 1 and 2 for her first two "double Qs" -- qualifying runs in both levels in the same trial which are required for the ARCH, an advanced title.
Minnow found the day a bit more challenging, but still had some modest success. She had a nice run in the first Level 1 course, and in the second trial managed to get a qualifying leg in Level 2 for her title! She had great fun in the ring and was a real crowd-pleaser with her bouncy performance. [Heather] |
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| 6/14/2010 |
Lexington, MA |
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Yesterday was another successful day at the rally trial in Keene, NH. Kira picked up one more double Q toward her ARCH title, as well as a Level 3 qualifying run. She would have had TWO more double Qs, but her brain-dead handler (me....) walked past one of the exercise signs. Sigh.....
Minnow had several good runs on Sunday, including an extra Level 2 leg. Actually, she managed to get the first of her double Qs toward an ARCH title! Though, it could be a REALLY long process for Minnow to get an ARCH. She and Chris make such a good team. He speeds through the course and she bounces alongside him. Very cute!
We got done with the trial about 5 and hopped in the car for the 2 hour drive home. We stopped halfway for a bite of dinner. Today we had a fairly laid-back day, although I did go out for groceries (something new and different!). The grrlz lazed around, but we got them out in the yard to practice rally a bit. We'd like to be better prepared for our next trial in Maine in July. [Heather] |
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| 6/20/2010 |
Lexington, MA |
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Today we are busy packing up all our belongings for the move up to Ipswich tomorrow. This week, we've been working on the scope of work for Joan's deck and stair project, including researching materials and designs. Fun, but lots of work!
I went up to Ipswich on Thursday to volunteer at Castle Hill. The day started off busy and interesting, but a cold front and rain squalls that moved in about noon caused tourist traffic to die off. It was very quiet until the last tour of the day at 3 p.m. Since the building was fully staffed with paid staff, I was able to get out a little early and beat the worst of the rush hour traffic.
On Tuesday we both had our physicals and were cleared to continue aging gracefully.... In the evening, Chris had his annual parents meeting for the junior sailing program. [Heather] |
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| 6/28/2010 |
Ipswich, MA |
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Wow, this week has been busy! On Monday, we finished overloading (!) the van and headed up to Ipswich about 9. Two of Chris' instructors/apprentices showed up to help for the day so we found them at the Yacht Club and made short work of hauling all our stuff down the hill to our apartment. Then they headed off to work while I started getting our belongings settled.
Monday night, Marty and Dick invited us to dinner which was a wonderful treat after the busy day! The weather was perfect (a nice change from last year's cold, wet move-in day) and we ate a delicious cold supper on their screened porch.
Tuesday Chris used the car in the morning to corral boat parts and in the afternoon, I made a flying trip down to the "Land of Retail" to lay in supplies, including a summer's worth of individually bagged chips and cookies for Chris' lunches. Getting all that food stowed was another couple of hours work -- just like being on the boat!
All week, Chris has been fighting to get everything done. Unfortunately, some of the advance work wasn't completed before he arrived -- like getting the safety boats running and launched and getting the docks and boat racks ready. In addition, three sailboats sustained damage over the winter and needed repairs.
On Thursday, I worked at Castle Hill. Chris needed the van so I rode with Marty, as she was working as well. On Friday, Chris had an organizational and training session with all his instructors and apprentices. While he was working, I managed to get the grrlz out for a walk at one of the favorite Essex Greenbelt properties. The weather was nice, so they really enjoyed their brief dip in the river!
Saturday morning Joan left for a week in Vermont and we headed to Lexington to paint her basement floor. We arrived, paint in hand, just minutes after she left and started prepping the area. Everthing that was on the floor got moved into the studio, then we had to scrape, sweep, and vacuum the bare concrete. The prep was the longest part of the process. While Chris finished the cleaning, I started masking off the edges. After that, the painting went quickly. Once Chris started cutting in, I followed with the roller and we were done in about 1 1/2 hours. One or both of us will go back on Monday or Tuesday to roll on a second coat.
After painting, we raced back to Ipswich hoping that Rob would be available to align the docks. He wasn't, so Chris got to relax a bit. But Sunday morning, he was back at it, trying to get ready for the first day of classes. Luckily, Danielle (one of the instructors) was available to help him. While they worked at the Yacht Club, I cleaned, organized, and restocked all of the first aid kits.
This morning, Chris was at the Yacht Club about 7:30 to help with the docks. Then Darlene (one of the board members) drove him home so we could visit and have a cup of coffee before they returned to face the day. I hope the day goes well; the weather forecast isn't promising. Although it is nice right now, lots of rain, thunderstorm, and gusty winds are predicted for the next two days. Not a good formula for the first days of beginning sailing classes! (Heather) |
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| 6/30/2010 |
Ipswich, MA |
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Chris lucked out with the weather so far this week. Although winds were fluky and gusty on Monday and Tuesday, at least the predicted rain and thunderstorms didn't materialize.
Monday night, as soon as Chris finished work, we zipped off to Lexington to do the second coat of paint on the basement floor. Since all of the taping and cutting in was already done, Chris was able to roll the second coat in less than 45 minutes. After enjoying a pizza from our favorite local place, we headed back to Ipswich.
Tuesday was devoted mainly to chores. Today, I headed off reasonably early and headed to Gloucester to pick up boat parts for the sailing program. I took the grrlz with me and headed to nearby Ravenswood Park, a huge Trustees property with lots of hiking trails. I opted for the Magnolia Swamp trail (can you spell BAD IDEA!). As soon as we reached the lower elevations, both grrlz plunged shoulder deep in gooey muck. And that was only the first of their trips into the swamp. At least they had a grand time!
When we returned to the car, I wiped them as well as I could with the dog towels that always live in the car. I covered all the seats with dog beds and hoped for the best. The best wasn't all that good -- the interior of the car is loaded with mud.....
After a few more chores to pick up sailing program supplies, we headed for home. I first washed the grrlz with the hose and shampoo in the back yard. That was just to get them clean enough to put them in the tub for a thorough washing. During the second shampoo, mud was still coming off in sheets. After a couple of good rinses, they were finally clean (mostly...). I'm exhausted! [Heather] |
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| 7/7/2010 |
Ipswich, MA |
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Things continue to be very busy as the youth sailing season gets into full swing. The only day that Chris has had off so far is July 4th! He worked on Friday and Saturday, and I worked at Castle Hill on Saturday -- a VERY busy day!
Sunday morning we headed down to Lexington with all the ingredients for a nice July 4th dinner. Joan just got home from Vermont on Saturday, so we didn't want her to have to shop. We had a wonderful midafternoon meal of ribs, grilled potato salad, red cabbage slaw, and homemade shortcakes with strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream. Yum! After dinner, the three of us went out to see Toy Story 3 in 3D. We all enjoyed it tremendously.
Monday morning we headed back to Ipswich so Chris could get organized for the upcoming work week. We stopped along the way home at one of the grrlz favorite walk spots -- Willowdale Mill. The trails is good and not muddy, but there are plenty of spots for the grrlz to dip into the Ipswich River for a little freshwater swim.
Early Tuesday morning, we launched the fourth safety boat at the town launch ramp and Chris drove it around to the Yacht Club. After meeting him at the Yacht Club, I headed off for a full day in the Land of Retail. I desperately needed some new summer clothes in smaller sizes (I know.... what a shame!) and spent a grueling couple of hours trying things on. Summer clothes were on deep discount, but were pretty picked over. I managed to find a few things, however. After a couple of errands and a trip to the grocery store, I was back in Ipswich around 3:30. Chris had race team practice in the late afternoon, so he didn't get home until 7. That made a REALLY long day in the 100+ degree heat index we're currently experiencing!
This morning I took the grrlz back out to Willowdale Mill for a good walk before it got too hot. Now they're sacked out on the couch. [Heather] |
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| 7/10/2010 |
Ipswich, MA |
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On Thursday, I had another busy day at Castle Hill. Chris was pretty drained from another hot day out on the water, so we had a quick dinner and vegged out.
Friday was the first regatta of the sailing season. I had to take Chris to work early (7:30 a.m.) to get things organized. The Opti sailors were headed to one regatta by car with their coach, Adam, while Chris towed the 420s to an Essex regatta off of Crane's Beach.
While he was off with the sailors, I made gazpacho, took the grrlz for a walk, and ran a few errands. One of my stops was the wonderful cheese counter at Coastal Greengrocer, an upscale market in Ipswich. I picked up some good bread, cheese (brie and Humboldt Fog) and pate. We planned to drive into Cambridge to meet our friend, Leah, and take a picnic supper to the free movies on the Esplanade along the Charles River.
Chris didn't get home until about 6:15, so he took a quick shower and slugged down an iced coffee to revive him for the drive into Boston. We had a relatively easy trip to Cambridge, except for some confusion in downtown Boston. Thanks to my unskilled navigation, we took a little detour through the Big Dig. Chris bailed out to surface streets where he was able to get his bearings. By the time I managed to turn on the navigation system on his phone, he was pretty much straightened out. But his phone does a much better job of navigating than I do! I still think you have to be born in Boston to be able to drive there successfully.
It was nearly 7:30 by the time we reached Leah's and we decided to bag the movie and just picnic at her house. It was a very pleasant evening and it was good to catch up with her. I was just as glad not to lug our picnic to the subway stop and over to the Esplanade!
Today we had planned to meet our friends, John and Liz, for a little expedition but Liz is under the weather. So, instead we're enjoying some much needed downtime - the first in quite awhile! [Heather] |
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| 7/13/2010 |
Ipswich, MA |
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It was nice to have a laid-back weekend -- the first weekend that Chris hasn't had to work. On Sunday, we took the grrlz for a walk at Appleton Farms Grass Rides -- or the grrlz and I walked while Chris rode his bike. The Grass Rides is a web of old carriage trails, so they tend to be fairly wide and shady. It's nice from a dog-walking perspective since only dogs with "Green Dog" permits are allowed, so the usage is lighter. We had a nice walk, and Chris had a nice ride -- at least until he took a tumble off his bike and landed on his hip. He was pretty sore the rest of the day and the next morning.
Yesterday, I ran errands in the morning, so didn't get the grrlz out for a walk until early afternoon. Unfortunately, I didn't look at the weather before I drove over to a favorite spot in Essex. Just as I opened the car door, the thunder-boomers started! So, we headed back to Ipswich, where the conditions looked a lot better. Just before I reached our alternate walk spot, Chris called to say that the kids had been chased off the water by severe thunderstorm advisories. So, the grrlz didn't get their walk, but I was able to take our DVD player up to Chris to help entertain the young sailors.
This morning, I dropped the grrlz off at a professional groomer -- Yikes! Minnow has never been to a grooming salon, and Kira hasn't for a decade. Chris has had so little time off that I didn't want to take a day of his weekend to groom the dogs. We'll see how it goes....
After dropping off the grrlz, I headed to the laundromat to get the laundry done before the hottest part of the day. Now I'm back home, puttering around at various chores. It seems REALLY quiet here without the grrlz! [Heather] |
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| 7/19/2010 |
Ipswich, MA |
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The grrlz and I are lazing around today while Chris is at work. We all got home late last night after a rally obedience trial in Maine. I was judging and the grrlz were entered in several classes each. It was a long weekend, but a very successful one.
We left Friday afternoon as soon as Chris could get away from work. We were on the road a little after 4:30 and reached our motel (an old Maine cottage) about 9, after stopping for dinner along the way. Saturday we were up early to get to the trial site a little after 7. I was judging (and running Kira or Minnow in judges' class) Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. During the two other trials, Chris ran Minnow and I ran Kira.
The grrlz brought home an impressive array of ribbons! In addition to the usual placement and qualifying ribbons, they each won "big" ribbons for various advanced championship titles! Kira got three (Level 1X, Level 2X, and ARCH -- a combined championship title), and Minnow got one (Level 1X). They were pretty tired by the time we got on the road home. With our dinner stop at a little Maine diner, it was after 10 before we reached Ipswich.
I should be getting more done, but I'm feeling too slug-like. I have lots to get done before leaving Friday for a quick trip to Fort Myers to visit Dad and Monta. [Heather] |
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| 7/22/2010 |
Ipswich, MA |
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After my slug day on Monday, I devoted Tuesday and Wednesday to chores -- grocery shopping and laundry. Today I volunteered from 9 - 4 at Castle Hill. The weather was beautiful, so we decided to go back up to Castle Hill this evening for the Thursday night picnic concert.
I had originally dismissed the idea since I'm leaving for Fort Myers early tomorrow morning. But, I rushed home, threw some clothes in my bag, did a few chores and was nearly ready to go when Chris got home from work.
We stopped on the way to Castle Hill to pick up supper at our nearby deli. We got to the picnic concert site about 6 and set up our chairs and towel. It was a very fun evening -- lots of good people-watching. The music was good, but not really my cup of tea. We left during the second set, shortly after sunset when the bugs started to come out.
At 6:30 tomorrow morning, we'll be on the road down to the Logan Express terminal so I can make my way in to the airport. By current travel standards, that's a pretty civilized departure! My plane leaves at 9:30 to JFK, then a connection arriving in Fort Myers in the late afternoon. [Heather] |
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