13 months and counting

With a projected retirement date of 9/17/09 there are only 13 months left. Yeah! I have no idea yet what the future will hold but I’m looking forward to it with great excitement. I counted up the number of shifts I have left to work and after tonight it is 193. That seems like a lot but I know it is going to go by fast.

I applied for a seasonal job today with L.L. Bean. It is the means to an end as I hope to work for them next year after I retire. I got back an email that I should call for an interview. Yikes! Now I’m nervous.

On another note, totally unrelated. Bill and I traveled to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens on Sunday. We had been talking about it for a couple of years; ever since we read an article about it in the newspaper. It was a beautiful day and the trip to Boothbay took about 2 hours. It was well worth it. The entrance fee was only $10 and there are 248 acres of land set aside for the gardens. It is really in the early stages of development but we found more than enough to justify our $$.

We each enjoyed a crab roll for lunch in the cafe and spent the next couple of hours touring the area. They are working on a couple of new gardens but we walked a mile or so to cover the areas that are already completed. I guess that isn’t a very accurate statement because I don’t think they are ever really completed; probably a constant work in progress. We visited the Meditation Garden and reflecting pool along with the azalea gardens, which included a wonderful waterfall.  If you are in the area I highly suggest you take the time to visit these new and growing gardens.

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“Fun at Camp”

Ahhhh, vacation. We spent the week at a rental camp on Pekwaquet Pond in Brownfield, Maine. It’s nothing special, just a small 2 bedroom camp that we have been renting for the past 25 years. The kids pitch tents in the yard and Bill and I sleep inside. The pond is quite small which was always perfect when the kids were small because we could see them wherever they paddled.

We gave the week a B rating. The weather wasn’t perfect but it wasn’t terrible and we had the Olympics to watch at night or when the weather wasn’t the best. There were a couple of partly sunny days and three beautiful days. The other two were cloudy with some rain. We took a trip into North Conway on the yucky day and did a little outlet shopping.

Greg, Vanessa and Ella came to visit on Saturday. Greg managed to fit most of the things he remembers from camp into a short four hour stay…canoeing, badminton, fishing and swimming. Ella had her first “dip” in the pond. She got her feet wet but she didn’t care for it very much. I had to admit, when I put my feet in the water, it was cold!

Scott and Trevor cam for the weekend. The slept overnight in the tent and they both appeared to enjoy themselves. Trevor and Papa Bill did a little fishing…

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Blog Contest!!

Lots to report but for now…Carla is having a blog contest. Not only is it a great blog, but she shares so much with her blog readers.

Check it out…

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