Last Friday Richard and Patsy sailed in from Canada on the Crown Princess cruise ship. I took the day off of work and we drove up to Mt. Desert Island Thursday evening. It was very nice to see both of them. We walked around Bar Harbor, ate lunch at Geddy’s and enjoyed each other’s company. It was a nice few hours.

When they got back on the boat in the afternoon we drove up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain where we took pictures and ran around the rocky slope.

Jenna Loves Whales

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My blog assignment for this week was to write about what I would do if I could have paradise. I’d like to travel, ride a boat, spend time with my family, and paint trees in the woods. In my paradise I don’t want people to fight and I want happiness every day.

I would get a motorboat that is the size of a monster truck. My family and I would fill our backpacks and bring the motorboat to the ocean every now and then and ride for a little bit. Hayley, Jenna, and I would stand in the front and feel the wind blow on our faces while playing, “I spy something.” Sometimes I could sit in the back of the boat and read my book, or listen to my MP3 player. I could smell the fresh breeze and dad would take pictures. Lots of pictures.

We’d take an airplane to China and I would snack and read on the way there. When my family and I got off, we would check out the beautiful sights and eat the food. I could make some friends and I would memorize the language. My friends would help me. Maybe I could even see some Chinese animals. It would also be very exciting and neat to stay in a Chinese hotel. I would like to try a sport only played in China.

Every week my family would go mini golfing, bowling, and to the movie theater. At the theater we could go and grab popcorn to bring to any movie without giving the person in charge a ticket. I would like to watch new movies that just came out.

I’d also like to bring art supplies in the woods and draw the trees and nature. I would give away paintings but sometimes I would keep them to put in my own house. My parents and sisters would each get an autographed painting from me.

That is my paradise plan.

My paradise would be a world in which there was general peace, unlimited clean renewable energy, no religion and ubiquitous internet. It wouldn’t be free from struggle and work, because those are the things that make life enjoyable. I would spend most of my time with people I loved and pursuing many research interests. And I would create. And explore.

I’d jump out of airplanes often. And pilot them more often. To cities with libraries and museums.

There are other things my paradise would encompass, but this is a family blog.

Yesterday was a brilliant Maine day. Temperatures were in the upper 50 °F with partly cloudy skies. Perfect. Kirsten had to work so the girls and I headed out to explore and enjoy the big outdoors.

First we went to nearby Saco Heath Preserve, which is a short 3.6 miles from our house. The hike through the woods and out into the heath were ideal. Skye and Hayley took copious notes on every sensation they experienced, including smell, touch, see and hear. They frequently stopped to sit on the boardwalk to search for frogs or to snack on the trail mix they had each prepared prior to our departure.

Jenna explores the Saco Heath Preserve

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We had a pretty laid back summer. We didn’t go camping or do much hiking, we didn’t travel, and we didn’t have any visitors. But it was a good summer nonetheless.

Despite the abundance of rain we had this summer we enjoyed some trips to the beach and to several lighthouses. Recently we discovered how much fun it is to play catch, whiffleball and baseball. The girls caught on pretty quickly, especially Jenna. She loves it!

We went to Boston a few times and purchased an annual pass for the Museum of Science. We all love it, and we have a great time every time we go. There is always something new to learn. We’ve gone to the Children’s Museum in Portland several times. The annual pass is worthwhile. One of the girls’ favorite things to do there is to dress up and perform on the stage in the theater.

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I have had a lot of fun this summer. I went to the beach a lot, and enjoyed playing in the water. Hayley and I also made sand castles of Boston. Hayley made the Science Museum and the Swan boats. I made a hot dog stand and a subway station. That was fun.

My mom’s co-worker, Jeff, invited everyone from CICU and R9 to a work party. The party took place at his summer house near a lake. Mom took Jenna, Hayley, and I to the work party with her. We had a barbecue and I enjoyed my hot dog. Afterwords, I went down to the lake and played with Stephanie (a girl between Hayley and Jenna’s age). When Jenna and Hayley came down to join us, we all got into Stephanie’s paddle boat. I was in the paddle boat almost the whole time we were there. I kept jumping out of it but I was disappointed when we had to leave. I’m going to have a paddle boat when I grow up.

My mom had brain surgery over the summer. I was sad and happy at the same time. I was sad because I didn’t want her to get hurt and I was happy because I wanted her brain to be healthy. Dad, Hayley, Jenna, and I got to visit mom at the hospital everyday she was there. I sat on the windowsill most of the time reading, listening to my MP3 player, playing 20 questions, or playing sudoku. It’s like I was glued to that spot. Finally, we decided that mom was going to come home. I was so excited! I’m glad the surgery is over.

The past few months I’ve been going through the process of becoming a member of the Scarborough Fish and Game Association. It’s a 177 acre facility with many ranges across many shooting disciplines. Tuesday evening the membership finally voted me in as the newest member. Wednesday evening I took Skye down to the club and shot a paper target on one of the utility ranges. We both had a lot of fun.

Skye was very safe. She listened intently as I briefed her on safety procedures, range rules and firearm operations. She primarily shot with my Ruger Mark III Hunter .22 pistol. When that got heavy she switched to my Glock G26 9mm, but she didn’t like the harder recoil.

Her shots early were high and to the right. After discussing techniques to improve her accuracy she was able to shoot a loose grouping around the center of the target. I was quite proud.

We had a great time. She says she wants to go again, which I think is terrific. She’s an excellent shooter.

Skye was very excited to shoot guns for the first time

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Yesterday the girls and I spent some time at Fort Williams while we waited for Kirsten to be moved to a proper bed on the sixth floor. We had a great time climbing on the rocks and playing wiffleball.

Supra-Orbital Craniotomy
Kirsten Uhler, Cogitations, August 23, 2009

We climbed on the rocks before playing wiffleball

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This past Saturday we headed out early to Lisbon Falls, Maine where we watched the Moxie Festival parade. After the parade we spent several hours at Fort Williams State Park where the girls played on the rocks while Kirsten and I read and talked.

We’ve had so many rainy days this summer it is almost a requirement that we spend non-rainy days engaged in outdoor activities. :)

The Moxie Festival Parade in Lisbon Falls, Maine

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The Dyer Library here in Saco hosted a Harry Potter Extravaganza: a film premier party for the upcoming “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” Jenna was especially excited about it because she has been reading and enjoying the Harry Potter series. She just started the seventh and final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

The Harry Potter Extravaganza was well done, and the girls had a good time. They had their fortunes told by Professor Trelawney, played games, colored Harry Potter pictures, and made wands. Hayley dressed as Hermione Granger, Jenna dressed up as Cho Chang, and Skye as Ron Weasley. The girls even convinced me to dress up as Professor McGonagall.

Cho, Ron, and Hermione