Pool Day!

What started out as a day with no real plans quickly filled up with fun stuff. I walked up to the Saco Sidewalk Arts Festival, wisely leaving my purse at home. I had considered setting up a booth there and trying to sell some images, but the scene was pretty saturated with photographers so I was glad I didn't. I did get some interesting ideas for things you can do with your photos, though, in terms of products to sell. Someday, perhaps.

It turned out to be a gorgeous day and so I decided to sit out for a bit at my parents' pool. At first it was just me and the dogs, but then everyone showed up, including my sister and nephews. Little E headed straight for the pool, insisting that he didn't need a vest. Well, we managed to get one on him and off he went. He loooves the water! Soon he was kicking and swimming around all by himself. Amazing. His older brother was less interested in swimming and more interested in engineering the kiddie pool. It's incredible how different their personalities are.


Leaping into Grammy's arms. "Big work" as he calls it.


Blowing bubbles, Grammy's smart technique for not breathing in underwater.


Everything needs to be just right...

Old Orchard Beach

I live about 6 miles from the beach and have spent many summers working at hotels there, practicing my Québecois. Today I took a nice bike ride there and back, taking advantage of what looks like will be the only clear day of the week. It was pretty quiet and seemed like there were more Americans than Quebecers. If I could go back in time I would love to see what this place was like when my grandmother was young and The Pier was "the" place to be for entertainment.

Ocean animals!

Today my sister and I took the boys to the New England Aquarium in Boston. What a blast! We saw many fish, sharks, an electric eel, and of course sea turtles, their favorite ocean animal. Afterward we walked to Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall for some good eats - pretzels, sushi, chowder, and ice cream. Good stuff! We reminisced about how much we used to love going there as kids ourselves. It's great to live so close to a big city, but nice to return to quieter living as well.

The silver lining

It's another rainy day here in Maine, and the forecast for the entire week shows rain, rain, and more rain. I feel bad for the tourists who planned their vacations here this week.

The good news is, the lighting on rainy days is pretty awesome. Here is Paris chillin' on the couch earlier today, looking depressed about the weather. Nah, not really, she's just really good at looking sad... gets her more treats.


Kind of an Andrew Wyeth feel to this image, no?

Splurge!

I love the weekend! And I love the summer even more. Although there is one more full day of school left for teachers on Monday, I'm beginning to wrap my mind around the idea that I have no idea when I will actually "work" again. Pretty crazy.

So today, after the requisite picking up around the house, I decided to treat myself to a pedicure. Later on, my fancy feet took me up the street to the Vietnamese restaurant in my 'hood. Good stuff. I was sad to see, however, that they still haven't cleaned their fish tank. That brown color in the background? That's the water. That can't be good. Much like the recent Obama vs. house fly controversy, I'm sure PETA would be all over this.

Travel-sized puppy

On my most recent flight to New York, this travel-sized puppy caught my eye. The owner was kind enough to let me take a picture. In fact, she informed me that many people ask to take her picture. Cuteness is universal apparently.

The joy of cooking

Cooking for one is not as fun as cooking for others, but every once in a while I bust out the culinary skills for myself. One of my standby dishes has always been veggie stir-fry. Tonight, fresh garlic, orange bell pepper and portabello mushrooms over bamboo rice and topped with fresh chives from my sister and brother-in-law's garden. Mmm mmm.

It was only yesterday

I'm posting this picture of some of my mom's flowers, taken yesterday. It seems as though the rain has returned with a vengeance today and will continue through tomorrow. So much for that bike ride! I usually don't pay much attention to the weather, but I swear this is the rainiest spring here ever. I'm sure the plants are happy.

Summertime

Today was a gorgeous day in Maine! Quite a nice change from the recent cold and damp days we've had. Paris got to go swimming twice at my mom's pool. Gabe, my parents' dog, has yet to make the leap into the pool, but he has nearly fallen in a couple times.

Old Port Festival

Today was the annual Old Port Festival. I'm not sure how many years this has been going on, but this may have been the first year I've gone. It was a beautiful day - sunny but cool. The boys had a blast! E said his favorite part of the day was me. Hee hee. Here's a pic of my super sister (a.k.a. Super Mom) w/the boys, along with a cute little girl holding her pink dolphin, a favorite prize among all the kids there today.

Serenity now

I recently mailed off a disc of photos to the pregnant yogi I photographed a couple weeks ago. One of the photos I really liked, but there was a lot going on in the background, so I experimented with Photoshop. Here is the result. I kind of dig it because her expression is so calm amidst the chaos going on behind her.