I'm Back

Howdy, folks! I'm back from the lovely state of Maine and here to dazzle you with the wit and charm of my poetic prose . . .

Well, I'm back, anyways. :-)

Vacation was amazing!

Sat on the shores of a huge, crystal blue, deserted lake and watched the sun go down while the coyotes serenaded me in the distance. Stood on the point that first sees daylight each day in the continental US and picked fresh blueberries from the bushes around me. Saw humpack whales, seals, porpoise and a bald eagle diving for fish. Kayaked with The Boy, took The Puppy for long walks in the forest, and sat on the beach with The Wife, gazing up in awe at the brilliant white lights of an endless universe. Had some great meals (And one crappy one) and some better desserts (OMFG! Blueberry-peach pie & deep fried cheescake!) Spent hours reading quietly beside the roaring fire with my family about me, saw the joy on The Boy's face when I let him drive the motor boat. Got to sleep late, snuggled up tight to The Wife against the morning chill. Never saw a drop of rain, nor a temperature that went over 82 deg. Napped in a hammock, and held hands with The Wife in matched Adirondack chairs beside the water. Walked along granite shoreline and watched the thunderous breakers of the North Atlantic shatter into white foam around me. Sipped blueberry soda and watched sailing ships slide into harbor beneath a sky so blue it hurt your eyes to look at it . . .

Yup. Not bad at all, eh? Shit, it doesn't get any better than that in my book!

Well . . . The Wife might disagree. She had a nice time and all but it was a bit more rustic than she's used to. The cabin didn't have any heat, other than the fireplace, and it got a might nippy in the a.m, which she was definitely NOT a fan of. Also, the water heater was a bit sporadic and had a tendency to shift your shower from scalding to freezing without much notice. Again, not a plus in her book. (Funny as hell to me and The Boy, though! She yelped louder than the coyotes!) Other than that, she had a good time. I imagine I can get her to do it again, provided the cabin we get has heat and steady hot water. Funniest thing was her fussing over The Boy . . . "Are you cold?" "Is it too dark for you out here?" "Careful, there might be animals outside!" I didn't have the heart to tell her that he spends the better part of his time with Scouts: tent camping in two feet of snow, in the middle of nowhere, with bears wandering in and out of camp regularly. He was good about it too. He didn't get frustrated, he just kept saying "Yes, Mom. I'm fine, Mom." and then he'd look at me and silently roll his eyes. The pair of them kept me entertained all week!

Tell ya' what though, it was a royal PITA coming back to Jersey . . . 96 degrees, 90% humidity, and traffic out the hoo-hah . . . I did not miss these things! Work (of course!) sucked Monday. I had 97 e-mails and 12 phone messages waiting for me (which, I'm sad to say, is actually pretty good for my first day back from a vaca. It's usually more like 150+ e-mails!)

Monday ended nicely though. The Wife took me to dinner at a fantastic restaurant for my birthday. Yup, I've actually reached the dreaded four-zero, folks. My sorry old ass is officially middle-aged now. (Have to remember to change the blog header when I'm done posting this!) Good news is that I'm in better shape at the moment than I was at thirty . . . hell, maybe even twenty-five. I'm still moving downward on the scales and running regularly (even while in Maine! How's that for dedication?) Anyways, I'm back in town and I'll keep you posted . . .

Later!