What to do after Christmas dinner

This is what we all did as we tried to pretend to watch a movie.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

All the whos down in whoville

Getting ready to eat drink and be merry. After a long walk in the woods, gift giving and libations we ate and gave thanks. Happy New Year!

Santa ties one on

This is Chuck getting ready for his anual gig as Santa at the Fontaine family party. Step 1) put on wig
Step2) drink a homemade beer
Step3) let the magic begin!

Snow comes to our house

This is our shed in the back of the house at the edge of the woods. Everything always looks so magical and quiet in the freshly falling snow.

Dear Blog friends

WOW! Here I was leisurely living my life as a summer person, unencumbered by schedules or deadlines when BLAM!!!!! Back to teaching and conferences and meetings etc! I thought my time would be mine forever. All excuses aside, here it is November. We have been focusing on helping Anthony achieve his dream of joining the Marines. Lots of road blocks.....they don't just take anybody these days. They even had to check Anthony's tattoo to make sure he wasn't part of a gang! Do they have a "National Tattoo Database"? Anyhow tattoo aside he has been cleared for take off. This means he will leave sometime in December for boot camp and because he is in the reserves he can return, continue college (their dime!) He owes them one weekend a month and possible deployment over the next 4 (6?) years. He is very excited and at this point with all that he has been through we are happy to see him so focused and so...well grown up. Ask me in December on the day he leaves...today I am o.k.

Dear Son

Enough already!! You better ship off to boot camp before our little dear population is gone. I must say you are a good shot though. I should have seen it coming. Remember when you were a small boy and would throw all of your toys up into the trees? Remember tossing golf balls and rocks onto the roof and of course practicing all sorts of shooting-BB guns, paint ball guns, air soft guns, bow and arrows, you had them all? Sitting still in school was so hard for you. Remember when you threw pencils into the cardboard roof tiles in the 5th grade hall way? You got called down to the principals office and to your dismay I was substituting that day. Just remember.....I'm always watching you.

Dear Kitty

We will miss you. Thank you so much for being such a wonderful friend to Marlaina over the years. When she would find her life in middle school or high school too difficult to deal with, there you were purring loudly, licking her face, letting her squeeze the life out of you with nary a complaint. Thank you for giving us story after story of your antics to share with an unbelieving public. Thank you for not being prissy and shy like some kitty's. Thank you for your persistence in wanting a warm lap and a pat on the head. We were sometimes grumpy and disinterested because life was getting us down. It was your persistence that made us pat you and let you onto our lap. With that simple act our troubles faded away as you smiled up at us. Thank you for being like no other-for being our kitty. Peace.

Doggy confusion

Toby just did not know what to make of it all. He kept poking it and barking at it. He cried all morning when Anthony left to go into the woods without him.

Not for the squeamish!

Day one of bow hunting season and our sharp shooter got his first deer with a great hit. Not some thing I would want to do, but just look at him smile. He has been waiting and practicing and today was his day. Luckily we have friends that know all about butchering and they are coming over to do the deed. I'll just stick with my greenhouse and veggies thank you.

Victory Beer

Note the slightly dazed expressions. These boys are one beer away from hitting the hay for a well deserved nap! Geezerhood's got nothin' on them!

Chuck and Marks days out

For a reason that I still don't quite understand, Chuck and Mark decided to ride their bikes from our house to Loon Mountain in New Hampshire-200 miles! Here they are all smiles Friday morning 6:30 am. I understand the physical challenge but it is a struggle mentally to get from here to Boston in a car!

Fueled by Guinness

Chuck and Marlaina ran in the Fall Foliage race in North Adams. This of course is post race.....note the pained expression and turned in toes! Guinness makes all the pain go away.

Newport Rhode Island Boat Show

This is one of those fall days that I am so happy to be living in New England. Low 70's bright fall sun, blue blue skys. We bought our tickets and headed into the boat show. All sorts of yachts and sailboats and boating paraphenalia. We of course would love to live on a boat and tour the world but how do you swing it? I mean aside from winning the lottery or being born a Rockefeller, these boats cost $500,000.0 and up. Fun to dream though, that's why we went in the first place.

The Happy couple

I met Steph and Ollie at the Newport boat show. A lovely sunny day, boats, lobster rolls and some free gin shots.

Just one of many many boats!

This is a beautiful catamaran that we toured. You have to make appointments on some of them, other boats you can just walk on.

????

You explain this one because it was just plain too funny to me. An arrangement of cucumbers and roses.

The Workhorse

Here we were at this fancy shmancy boat show with it's million dollar yachts and across the way was this beautiful blue-collar guy getting none of the attention it deserves.

They even had a band that navigated the docks playing jazzy tunes.

Fall Begins

Here is our porch with pumpkins from the garden, bones collected from the woods and our gargoyle that keeps evil at bay. I love the fall, something about the cool nights, sunny bright blue skys and walking in the woods that makes me feel hopeful.

Joining the Army

So, the boy wants to join the Army. Not just join as your basic army guy, he wants to be an Army Ranger! His rational has to do with testing himself and feeling like if he were some where in combat he'd like to have the elite shooters beside him. Sounds logical but being his mom and all this is a bit hard to swallow. But swallow I must. If anything I have learned over that last 5 years it's that life starts and ends without much of my control. I think this is the struggle. You feel as a parent like you created, or took in and raised these lovely people why shouldn't you be able to control all that happens to them? No matter how smart we all are, this is what we wish and hope. It is also my job to support him in his passions ( provided they are legal!) He loves to hunt, he loves his dog, he loves to hike, he loves his friends. I came to the realization long ago that parenting is just one big lesson on letting go....for us I mean, not them......so hard to do. So, he is looking to leave for boot camp in November if all goes well. He wants to come out the other end in 5 years and get a job as an environmental police officer. He has always been the kid that has pushed my emotional fortitude to its limits and I see no end to this....I love him just the same and hope he gets to do all that he wants to do in life.

The trailer gets a paint job!

Finally Chuck gets to the outside. There was a lot of research into the best way and the best paint to put on the trailer. Chuck opted to spray on a high gloss enamel. Came out great! The accent stripe will be in red in keeping with its original color scheme. The end is in sight and soon we will take her on her maiden voyage into the mountains of Vermont, or Maine. Yay!!

New Trailer photos!

Trailer kitchen

Sorry, a bit dark. There is a sink, refrigerator, cook top with three burners and a microwave. Chuck is putting red where ever he can (its his favorite) so I had to tell him I was making the cushions and table top another color. I think I would go crazy living in too much red......wait, maybe I already am crazy!

Trailer photos

This is the interior looking back on the benches that can fold out to a large bed. There will be a table in the middle at some point soon.

Took M.E. and Laney to Newport, R.I the other day. A bit steamy but we did manage to get in some shopping ( we can always rally for shopping!) and then out to eat. Drove by all of the mansions and the beautiful ocean views. I was trying to imagine the days when these homes were full of servants and families and this was just their summer home! I'd be happy with one of the carriage houses and a job taking care of the horses.