A quickie: Jen wrote this recap up and posted it today: Third Birthday Party for Ox and Finley.
Lots of things are happening around here, but I haven’t had time to write them all down. In no particular order:
My sister-in law and fiance asked me to come and take a look at a house they were considering purchasing in the Hunting Ridge neighborhood. A little Google-Fu revealed it was the former house of some acquaintances we’d made through friends who live two doors down the street. It’s a beautiful house from the street, but over a year of being on the market hasn’t been kind to it. Walking in the door, I was immediately faced with debris left behind, which included clothes, papers, books, a drum kit, mattresses, and most hauntingly, piles of toys. Knowing the couple had split up, and that their departure was most likely done in a hurry was depressing. In a more positive note, I was snooping through the basement by the light of my iPhone (I hadn’t had time to go home and fetch a flashlight) and came upon an old Cones and Rods poster with my name on it.
Yesterday, before bed, Jen, Finn and I spent about a half an hour playing with a balloon left over from the birthday party. All we did was play a game of keep-it-in-the-air. Time stopped; she giggled.
I have a new brewing kit ready to go, if and when I get some free time to brew it: it’s called Chinook IPA, and it’s a two-step fermentation recipe. I’m already down to about 18 bottles of the English Pale Ale, which has settled down from its initial molasses-like flavor into something that tastes only mildly caramelized. Brew and learn, I guess.
Due to all the rainfall, I haven’t been in the Scout for two weeks, other than to pull it out of the garage to put the soft top back on. I have to source a new bolt for one of the bow brackets, which disappeared while I was reinstalling everything. I’m also going to buy a pair of pipes to use as sleeves for installation of 3-point seatbelts, which I’ll have welded in when I get back out to Chestertown to have the bumper constructed.
→ This is a syndicated post from my Scout weblog. More info here.
Three years ago today, as you came into this world, I almost passed out. I think I’m still trying to get my feet back under me. I love you, Finn.
Jen and I took Finn to her first day of Pre-K this morning. Jen did a ton of work to make sure this place was the right fit, and I feel awesome about her experience there already. The building is a total throwback to the cinderblock schoolrooms of my youth, but filled with warm, cheerful decoration, and the staff is energetic and caring and friendly and everything I’d want for my daughter. I snapped a few pictures with Jen’s camera, and I’ll put one up a little later in the day.
Standing outside the door, several parent/child pairs were waiting quietly as we walked up, chatting with each other, the children (mostly) stone-faced and rooted to the spot. Our daughter walked up, introduced herself to some of the other children, then decided to dance, run in circles, and explore the width of the driveway. No social fears, this one has.
Friday morning we filled the Scout up for a beach adventure, and struck out for the sand above Corolla. Finn’s seat strapped easily to the rear bench, and she happily held on to Ox and Kasoogi as we left the pavement and drove north to find a quiet patch of ocean to ourselves. Once we’d parked, she laughed and played in the surf, and I carried her into shin-deep water to brave the breakers together. It was great to see Chewbacca out on the beach again, and I tried to shoot as much of the experience as I could for Brian.
After returning home (and a short road nap in the Scout), we adjourned to the pool for the afternoon, taking advantage of the last sun of our stay. Burgers on the grill accompanied whatever we had left over in the fridge, and Brian started mixing drinks as Mama and I waited for Finn to fall asleep. Note to self: beware the offer of a Mudslide on the evening before the trip home.
We woke to rain and wind beating on the windows, which meant outdoor activities were curtailed. Mr. Brian made pancakes for the house, and we tried to make our way down the shore to the aquarium in Monteo, but the road north of Duck had been washed out. We contented ourselves with a lunch of excellent barbecue and fried fish served by illegible waitstaff. Finn melted down after that, so it was home for a nap in the top bunk and a quiet afternoon of reading and quiet time for us.
We’re not ready to come home yet.
Red flags at the beach today, because of rip currents and rough water. We adjourned to the pool, sipping pina coladas under a blue sky flecked with clouds, and splashed until Finn’s eyes got heavy. After a long nap, she got right back in the water and had to be dragged out for dinner.
Elsewhere, Texas is on fire and our hometown is underwater; news reports show a river down Main Street in Elicott City. Hopefully there will be a house to return to.
Another beach day today, but high winds made it a sandy experience. We got down there at 10:30 and had more room to spread out than Sunday. I made sand castles and Finn smushed every one of them with a giggle. We played wave keepaway and collected shells and dug in the sand and waded in about knee-deep, but stayed away from the breakers. Two hours later we left with an exhausted and cranky girl in tow. The afternoon was spent in the pool, which was warm and calm and free of sand, and next to the hot tub.
I took Finn across the street to try out her bike with the training wheels (can you believe she’s big enough already?) and we worked on it for about 10 minutes and one rest period. She hasn’t gotten the concept of moving her legs in revolutions yet; she tends to stomp down equally on either side, hitting the coaster brake and stopping herself as soon as she gets some momentum going. We abandoned the bike and walked over to the playground, where she asked me to push her on the swings for a total of 45 minutes or so.
We made it through the hurricane really well, and escaped my greatest fear—that of losing the roof, or at the very least, a leak. The backyard looked like a Civil War battlefield when it was finished. Our trees held firm but dropped piles of twigs, sticks, and dead branches everywhere. The neighbors lost an older oak tree across their driveway, and friends in Paradise lost their entire porch. We contented ourselves by watching Toy Story 3 in the living room while the wind howled outside. Our power actually stayed on until 5:30 or so Sunday morning before it finally got cut off, and we’re still without it Monday.
In better news, I’ve finally got the cash to call a roofing company. We’ve been coasting along under a slate roof that’s about ten years past its sell-by date, and I’ve given up on my dream of replacing it with the same material. We’re going to go with a 30-year asphalt shingle and have them replace the gutter on the back roof, as well as add a ton of snow guards to keep the gutter from getting flattened again. It’s been a long time coming, but I’ll be happy to have it done for the winter.
We’re most concerned about our vacation in Hatteras, which was scheduled to begin this Saturday. The word from our realty office is that there’s mostly wind damage and lack of power, but the houses in general are in good shape. Rt. 12 north of Rodanthe is breached and there are several other spots where the road is washed out, so we’ll have to wait and see if there’s a way to get onto the island that doesn’t involve a ferry (but I doubt it).