There's No Place Like Home

After a long drive to Florida and back, it is SO good to be home...



We left on August 16th and drove to Tampa to bring our grandson, Brian, to college for his first year at the University of South Florida.



We made it from Maine to Tampa in three days, driving all day and sleeping in our little Casita at night.

Our goal on day #2 of driving was to make it to Charleston for our favorite BBQ boiled shrimp

 at Red's Ice House in Mt. Pleasant, SC . . . with a much-anticipated side of Margarita's!

Finally, we arrived at USF in time for two days of Orientation . . . 

And Brian's "big move" into the dorm.

We were amazed at how smoothly everything went . . . the level of organization and the warmth of the welcome at such a large school were impressive!

Brian is in this Class of 2018 photo . . . somewhere!

And how many college campuses offer a private beach outside your dorm???

Brian & "Nanny" at USF

We left Florida on Monday for the long drive home, stopping overnight in Savannah, GA, Richmond, VA, and at a little campground in the mountains on the PA/NY border.

After two weeks of air-conditioning and daytime temperatures in the mid 90's, it was great to be back in Maine where we could throw open the windows and smell the sea breeze.

But this morning, after four days of sitting in the car and eating junk food on the road, it was back to Body by John for my work-out with Ben . . .

And then some much-needed quiet-time in the craft room.

Where I can't wait to get started on my next project, which involves lots and lots of . . .

 Zippers!

Curious?

 I'll post a tutorial soon...

I've got some sewing to do first!

   

USF or Bust

After a busy week of planning and packing, we're off for Tampa very early tomorrow morning to bring our grandson Brian to the University of South Florida to begin his college career.

We're so excited for him!

Brian in front of USF Marshall Student Center

It's hard to believe how quickly time passes . . . where did this little guy go???

Christmas 2007
 

2013

2014

Leaving home for the first time is always bittersweet.

Brian has said a lot of Good-byes to family and friends this week.

 

Brian, DH aka "Grampy" & his Great-Grandmother Lawson

 

I stopped at Kristen's house yesterday morning to give her a hug before our trip and, total coincidence, there was her housemate and good friend, Ryan, in a University of South Florida Bulls shirt!

To add to the excitement, Brian got his driver's license on Tuesday . . . finally!

(5th time's the charm, right, Brian?)

Today Brian is doing last-minute college paperwork...

While DH packs the Casita...

And the 4-Runner . . . for the long drive to Tampa.

He actually managed to fit everything for Brian's dorm room into the back . . . sort of.

 

I still remember my first day at college (a long time ago...class of '69) and hope Brian has as many exciting opportunities as a college freshman as I was lucky enough to have.

 

Go USF Bulls!

 

 

Think Camping's Not For You?

People often ask why we go to all the trouble of camping . . . setting up, bugs, rain, dirt, taking down . . . when "at our age" we could just stay in a nice quiet motel.

 

Good question.

 



I love falling asleep to the sounds of the ocean and the little tidal stream leading to it.

 I love waking up to amazing views . . . like these - of Penobscot Bay and a bridge through the woods -  both from our campsite at Searsport Shores.



I love "camp breakfasts" . . . especially since DH likes to get up early and cook them.

I love the almost spiritual connection I feel with art and nature at camp. Around every turn at Searsport Shores, for example,  there awaits an unexpected little treasure...like these little "campfire teepees" that everyone is encouraged to add to.

Or these chairs under an arbor of squash . . . just waiting for me to stop and sit in for awhile.

In the garden, there are heirloom beans...

Honeybees...

And even dresses  . . .

hanging in the trees.

 

We spend hours combing the beach for sand dollars...

Sea Glass...

and heart-shaped rocks.


Camp is a place where friends, both old and new, still sit on porches...

Take walks in the woods (daytime clothing optional!) . . .

Carolyn & Michele

And share Fried Pickles at the local Pub.

Anita & Fred

Searsport Shores is a very special campground because of its emphasis on the arts; each September they sponsor an amazing get-together or artists called Fiber College. Each week during the year leading up to Fiber College, an Artist-in-Residence is on site teaching a new craft.

This week's artist-in-residence is Steve Schreurs from Maryland, who creates jewelry, armor, and upscale clothing from chainmail . . . thousands of little metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. Here is some of his work.

He has even created a chain mail t-shirt!

And, with a red hat on, Steve does bear a striking resemblance to someone else we all know.

DH even got to try his hand at spinning (not the kind in the gym...he's got that one down...the other kind!)

 

Camping for us isn't always a case of roughing it...we're too old for that! When it rains, we climb into our cozy little Casita and binge-watch Netflix . . .

 

Or read, play a game, and blog at our teeny-tiny dinette.

And there's always shopping!

 

 Cayote Moon...a favorite stop

Belfast Farmer's Market

 

Life is a grand adventure . . .

And we don't want to miss a minute of it!

 

 

On the road again,

 

 

 

p.s. This post is dedicated to all of our amazing friends at Searsport Shores...you know who you are!

I Loved This Book!

"There was a time in Africa the people could fly. Mauma told me this one night when I was 10 years old."   And so this amazing story of two women . . . one a slave, one a slave owner . . . begins.

I was encouraged to read Sue Monk Kidd's The Invention of Wings by the gentleman who gave us our historical walking tour of Charleston, SC, when we visited there in June. I'm so glad that he suggested this amazing book to me. If you recall, Sue Monk Kidd was also the author of The Secret Life of Bees.  The Invention of Wings is her newest book, just out in hardvoer this year.

 

This book, a work of historical fiction spanning the first half of the 19th century, is inspired by the lives of Charleston's wealthy Grimke sisters. The character of Sarah is based on Sarah Grimke, an early South Carolina feminist and abolitionist

 

 

Sarah's life is contrasted to the life of  Hetty "Handful" Grimke, a slave of about her own age, who was "given" to her as her waiting maid for her 11th birthday. As both girls grow into women, and  unlikely friends,  they tell the story of their own lives as seen from their very different places in the world.

Fiber artists will enjoy this book for the importance that quilting plays in telling the story of Handful's family. Since slaves were not allowed to learn to read, Handful's "Mauma" records her history for Handful through her story quilts. 

 

This quilt was actually done by Harriet Powers, herself a former slave. A book with photos and descriptions of her quilts, Stitching Stars, is available here.

 

In The Invention of Wings, both  Sarah and Handful struggle for freedom . . .Handful from the injustices of slavery, and Sarah from the expectations and constraints, especially for women, of life in wealthy 19th century society. As the book unfolds and the girls' lives continue to collide, the struggles for abolition and womens' rights begin to intertwine through these two strong female characters. One of the best books I've read on so many levels!

I read The Invention of Wings on our last camping trip, to South Arm, and later today we leave for our next one...to Searsport Shores, my very favorite place on the coast of Maine. Our neighbors at Applegate know we are headed out on another trip when they see us pull the Casita into the driveway to pack it up. And we have the best neighbors in the world...

Our next door neighbor stopped over with this brand new "Roadtrip" game which she bought for us when she saw it at a yard sale. She said that the tin it comes in reminds her of our Casita!

And then, when we got home from errand-running yesterday, we found this great Bob Marley "Upta Camp" sticker wedged into the screen door of the Casita. Now it just so happens that one of our very favorite neighbors is best friends with Bob Marley's mother, and Bob Marley practically invented the phrase "Upta Camp", so I have a pretty good idea who gave us the sticker. Thanks M.E.!

Here it is on the Casita.

 

We're all packed and, once I get off the computer, ready to go!

 

We're off to Searsport . . . with another LL Bean bag full of books to enjoy while we're there!