Birthday Bliss

It has been a busy couple of weeks (surprise, surprise!)
Update on Zoi- They were really encouraging us to put her down asap. I sat holding her all weekend crying my eyes out and just couldn't come around to it. We picked out a spot, and made a nice box and pillow for her. Art couldn't do it either. Then after a couple of days on the steroids, antibiotics, and painkillers she started to feel better. She started eating again, and had a little energy. Nope- not going to do it. We know that we are just buying a little time with the steroids but we have cherished every minute, and will do so until the end!
My Mother came for a visit last week and she brought a special guest- My niece R! I was pretty excited. I think she was too :) We scoured the house and even hooked up the wood cook stove on Thursday then picked them up late.

Friday, we headed out to the seacoast. We went to Warren's for lunch. Fabulous seafood place on the water with a salad bar that can't be beat. I think this place has been around for over a hundred years! Delish!

We stopped at Nubble Light in York before heading up to...
-(you guessed it)- Ogunquit. One of my new favorite places.

We walked the Marginal Way cliff walk, and shopped in the little shops. Unfortunately, all the boats were put away for the season. It was a gorgeous clear day with temps in the 60's.

Since we had a teenage girl with us (and my Mom) we stopped at the outlet malls in Kittery for a little shopping. Then went to Poco's in Portsmouth for dinner. What a great birthday. Warrens, Ogunquit, family, and Poco's! We stopped and got cake and ice cream on the way home. Cake at ten o'clock? Sure- it was tasty!

The next day we had a part of Art's family over for dinner, and then headed off to the Keene Pumpkin Festival. It was pouring buckets by the time we got there, but we made it!
I also got a special birthday gift from my girls today. My nieces were out visiting the chickens and they found a perfect small brown EGG!

My first egg! Couldn't be a better birthday gift.

Wil and his crew were renovating the greenhouse this week so the girls and Elliot were cooped up the whole time. Meant to be. The egg was in the laying box where it should be! Yippee! The south section of the greenhouse was ripped off and replaced along with the back doors. The girls will be snug and warm this winter!

We got the lid on just in time since the first snow was last night!
I got a Frederick's cake to celebrate an early B-day for R. I got a horse theme since she is a horse enthusiast. No pics from the Pumpkin Fest. Way too soggy! We spent Monday in Boston with my Mom and neice. We walked all over that place. Parked in the Common, went to Newbury street for some shopping (really looking since everything there is so $$$$), then over to Fanieul Hall and Quincy Market for lunch and more shopping. The teenager was in heaven. I (and my Mom) sure enjoyed the little model with no shirt on outside the Abercrombi and Fitch place. But, man that place is LOUD! and the place is saturated with the stink of perfume! I felt old in there. I liked the American Eagle place a little better. They had chairs where I could watch videos of songs I had never heard before, but that R swore were the best songs around! LOL! We thought we would end the day by having dinner in China Town, but once there she was a little put off by the chickens, squid, and other misc. meats hanging in a lot of the restaurants.
So we headed out and up stopping at the Cheesecake factory in Burlington instead.

The visit was way too short, but we sent R off with a smile on her face and an extra suitcase of loot! so I think all went well.

Cruising

For the first time in ten years, since we have been in the heating business, we took a vacation in September! It felt very weird, but very exciting. Fall is the best time in New England. The bugs are gone, the humidity is low, and the temperature is just right! We thought we would go North to see some early foliage. We were off the mark on that one, I am guessing because the coast is a little warmer and later on leaves, but it was beautiful none the less.

I enjoy cruises because our cell phones don't work, hubby is too cheap to pay for wi-fi, we have no phone, and people can't get ahold of us.
Our first stop was cancelled because the port was closed due to remnants of Ike. Frata rata rata frata... so I still have not seen the Bay of Fundy tides. We saw the mud flat when the tide was out in Nova Scotia last year, but the port of St. John in New Brunswick was closed. So we had a day at sea sipping the drink of the day and reading books instead :)

Halifax we have been to (last year) so we shot down to a great coffee place to watch the harbor. Helicopters, and a cool looking cruiser were among the highlights. Tons of sailboats as we were leaving. They looked like toy boats in the water compared to the beast we were on.

Mid-week Art got sick so we did not do much in Sydney, Nova Scotia. We took a little walk around and then headed back to the ship where he could rest. I watched a movie in the lounge and worked out until dinner time.

Another day at sea relaxing, reading, and drinking... We did see whales off in the distance.
By Bar Harbour Art was feeling better. Though I have lived here over ten years we have yet to make it that fa'a No'th to Bah Ha'abah. It was a great little town. Kind of like a liberal Portsmouth... or maybe more like Boulder, CO on the water but beautiful nonetheless. We wandered around town, and had some calamari and Sam on the patio at a local restaurant, then looked through some of the shops and investigated a nearby sandbar- tide was coming in so we headed back.

Then we hopped on the tour bus (so cliche but when you only have eight hours...) up Cadillac Mountain. This is supposed to be the highest mountain on the Eastern Seaboard, but I swear I heard the same about another hill last month when we were in Ogunquit so I will take that with a grain of salt. Great ride up on a rare cloudless and clear day. You could see Mount Katadin in the distance, as well as all the little islands and hills in the harbor.
Then back to Bean Town.
We had to hurry off the boat because Sunday was the day of Harvest Festival in our quaint little town. The fire department does a roast chicken lunch as a fundraiser. Sold 110 chicken lunches. Boys outside cooking the chicks over an open fire (of course) and the auxiliary inside serving the chick with corn, cole slaw, potato salad, a roll, and a dessert (from our cookbook which was for sale too ;) Then outside to mingle, listen to the band, eat maple cotton candy, and drink fresh pressed apple cider. Think stereotype and you have it! Some folks even dress up in old time clothes (don't know why... don't wanna ask... in case they try to make me do it too!) Good week.