I write to you from my dad's house. After a giant scrimmage we left Northampton yesterday and arrived in Maine only three hours later. I used the little GPS system we used all over England to plot a course to my dad's, and it brought me in a way no one had even thought of before. I had faith, and we turned up in exactly the right place. Very sweet.
Jul 25
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.
Garden is a mad overstatement for the wild territory that is growing some of the tallest weeds in the neighborhood. Lynn and I are competing for tallest weeds. Hers are fuzzy, but I think mine may be taller.
But the backyard is perfect. It is fenced, so dogs and small children can be turned out, and the fence has many gates so that large kids can come and go as they please, and all the gates have chimes so I know when they are coming and going. I had three wild girls out there the other night, running and shouting and climbing until after dark. It was great.
Jul 26
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.
I am awestruck by how well this one came out.
Today's postcard is hand drawn, and actually harks back further than my recent travels. I was hoping I wouldn't wallow in nostalgia, but it is where my head is.
I had the luck to grow up in a house that overlooked a boatyard. At age 5, my brother could, and did, imitate every different power tool he heard below us. We had a tiny sliver of waterfront that gave onto a perfect dock. We were allowed to row when we could prove we could get ourselves home if the wind changed (giving rise to one of my more deeply held beliefs; "Always go upwind first"). It was an idyllic childhood in many repsects. I miss easy access to the ocean. Easy access to rowing and sailing small boats. Access to the intensity of the storms that roll through in the winter. I've traded that for other pleasures, but I can still miss it.
Today my father and daughter and I took a small sailing dinghy out for its maiden voyage. There was very little wind, and where ever the wind was, we weren't, so Alice shed some clothes and leapt over the side and joyfully towed us about the lake, coming to rest in the shade of a small island for snack time. We had a great time. We didn't test the sailing capabilities of the boat very hard - difficult with no wind - however we had a very, very fine time.
I experiment with rigging the sail.
Alice tests the water...
Makes it over the side, and...
tows us to a small island.
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