Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Take a hike

I've gone on two hikes in the last couple days.  The first was more like a walk in the woods up "The Mountain" which we can walk to from the house.  From the highest point you can't see anything because of all the trees but there is a nice lookout over Long Pond at one point along the trail.  While stopping to enjoy the view, we got to see a hawk or eagle soaring just in front of the tree line.  Of course it flew away as soon as I got the camera out but it was a cool sight to see.  It had rained the day before and the rocks were a little slick so a picture in front of the caution sign was a must!
 
Long Lake from the lookout spot on the mountain
The second hike today took us to the top of Round Top, a total of about 4 miles.  I had remembered the climb as steep and tiring last year but I'm clearly in way better shape because it was a piece of cake.  There was a lot of evidence of moose activity with droppings and tracks but unfortunately we didn't catch sight of one.  The view from the spur trail was great but a little hazy and we even managed to balance the camera on a broken birch tree to snap this photo.
Compliments of the self timer
On a clear day you can see Sugarloaf in the distance
On the descent there is another nice lookout spot complete with a bench for resting the legs.  This view is of Long Pond in the foreground and Great Pond in the background.
The break in the islands on Great Pond is the view we have from the docks
There are several other trails to tackle this summer, all of which my mom and I climbed last summer.  I also tested out one of the quiet dirt roads for running and it was so peaceful for a 2.5 mile jog.  The only thing I had to be careful about was running through swarms of gnats and not swallowing any! 

One downside of all this outdoor time is allergies.  Having survived allergy season already in Virginia I'm facing them again given the lag in the change of seasons here in Maine.  I was hit really hard today and even the surface of the lake has turned yellow with all of the pollen.  I'm hoping it doesn't last too long. 

Saturday, June 25, 2011

From sweating to sweatshirts

After sweating to death packing my car to the brim and driving about 700 miles I made it home to Maine.
Just enough room for me to sit & believe it or not I fit another bag in the passenger seat.
"The beast" (huge red bag) just barely fit in the trunk
I'm not sure if it was the lack of room or what but for the first time while actually driving I felt really carsick.  Thankfully I had Advil and Pepto readily accessible which helped.  Overall the drive was uneventful aside from a couple close calls of cars nearly sideswiping me.  Funny enough the perpetrators drove cars just like Marissa's and Erin's which I found ironic.  Here you can see the drive via the major bridges I cross. 
Nice and sunny crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge into NJ 

Couldn't see NYC from the Tapanzee Bridge because of the fog

Getting close over the Piscataquis Bridge from NH to Maine

As usual I was welcomed with cold temps and drizzly rain and have had sweatshirts on ever since.  Luckily the weather is supposed to warm up into the 70s and 80s soon and the sunshine should return so perfect lake weather is on the way! 

It's so good to be home :)

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Birthday Bash

Thanks to everyone for a great birthday celebration!  It was the perfect way to spend my last night in Harrisonburg with all my favorite people.  However my dad reminded me that I'm now at an age where the second number is double the first number and as I quote, "not good".  I would like to point out that this also happened when I turned 12 but it made me chuckle and you bet I saved that voicemail. 

Check out the fabulous cupcakes Erin made for me, complete with Starbursts presents.

The color flame candles were also a hit!
It's hard to believe this is my last night in Harrisonburg.  It's bittersweet but I'm looking forward to some rest and relaxation with family and friends in Maine. 

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Take me out to the ballgame

This weekend I got to watch my soon to be home team- the Nationals!
Francine invited me to the game and her mom's company provided a free lunch before the game, complete with Sam Adams Summer Ale...you really can't beat that!  The food was delish and I really liked the stadium.  Luckily our seats ended up in the shade towards the end of the game because it was wicked HOT.
During the game they have something called the clueless cam where they film people and count how long it takes them to notice they are on the big screen.  This guy put on a show for the crowd and had a crab in each hand that were "fighting" each other.  It made for a good laugh. 
Best of all the Nats beat the Orioles 4-2.  I'm hoping to go to some more games in the future...with all of those empty seats it looks like getting tickets won't be a problem.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Fundfest

Last night some of us ventured to Fundfest for the first time.  It's basically a live band, food and drinks, and a fundraiser for local charities.  The $2 admission fee gets donated to the charity of the night, which happened to be the SPCA last night!  The series happens every other Wednesday throughout the summer and the turnout was really good.
The band and the kids dancing by the stage...some of them had crazy moves!

Peter discovered the art of icing people and iced all his friends- it was hilarious.
Sadly with moving day approaching we won't be around to attend the next Fundfest.  At least we are "packing" all the fun of Harrisonburg in during these last couple weeks!  Whats on the agenda for today? Another fabulous trip to Jack Browns I believe.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Oops I did it again...

I signed up for my second half marathon on October 15th!  Marissa will be running it, Emily's doing the marathon relay, and Francine might run too...even though she has a 10 miler the weekend before.  It should be a really good time and I'm so pumped that it doesn't start until after 9 am.  No super early wake up this time around. 

Yesterday Marissa and I went on a short run (my first in several weeks) and it was good to be back.  I don't have to actually start training until July so this is just to keep up a basic level of fitness.  You of course will be hearing all about the training shenanigans I'm sure, so stay tuned.

The Weekend Wrap-up

What a perfect summer weekend it was.  Here's what went down:

Friday:
I spent the day lounging and finishing this awesome book

Saturday:
Started with a morning visit to the farmers market and picked up some rainbow carrots (they are awesome!), kale, summer squash/zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and a whoopie pie.



Then I got a desperately needed haircut and headed to the pool.  What bad timing when out of nowhere a huge thunder storm arrived within 10 minutes.  I ran back to the apartment and waited it out before joining Fran for an afternoon of sun and swimming.  We watched The Fighter that night...an okay movie but not one I ever need to see again.

Sunday:
Brunch at Clementines with Francine and a couple of her friends Peter and Kyle.  I had french toast and it totally hit the spot.  Then we headed to a winery in Afton called Veritas Vineyards.  Moral of the story, fantastic wine but an atmosphere masquerading as classy but in reality far from it.  Who wants hoards of flies trying to attack your wine and cheese?  No thank you!
Welcomed by a beautiful sign and....
Porta-pottys???

The tasting room
Gorgeous view of the vineyards
The gang
What to do when you run out of bread? Cheese piled on cheese!

We polished off Sunday with a much needed burger and fries from Jack Browns.  You just can't beat a day like that.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

The Trifecta of Oddities

Strange things have been happening the past few days...

1. I cut the bottom of my foot at the yard sale we had on Saturday.  Nothing major but it was bleeding so I asked Emily for a band-aid.  An odd old man heard me say that and came over and prayed for my cut.  He held my foot and said things like "out with the pain, out with the infection, etc."  Then he told me it was the best he could do and to follow it up with some vitamin E! 
In case you're wondering I followed up with lots of soap and water and neosporin and it's healing up just fine.

2. While I was waiting for Em at Klines last night I got my ice cream and sat at a table.  Next thing you know, I was joined by a disabled guy.  We had a conversation about riding bikes, the weather, etc.  It was kind of hard to understand him and he kept staring at my purse and keys which made me nervous.  Luckily Emily showed up after a few minutes and I kindly excused myself.  We chose a table hidden around the side of the building.

3. My gas gauge has not worked for a year.  I now clock my mileage every time I fill up.  Last night I got a full tank of gas and reset my miles to zero.  Today on my way back from a home visit I was shocked to see the needle correctly reading at full and the check gauges light turned off.  Miraculously my car has made its own $600 repair.  Crossing my fingers it stays that way!