Seaside

We've left the seaside behind--a week on Genie's native Cape Cod shore and the more rugged coast of Maine. Not enough time in either place, but this has been a journey for mere sampling. Still, we saw enough of those places to know that we'll return for a longer periods in the future. Nauset, Cummaquid, Nantucket, Provincetown, Camden, populated respectively with body surfers, horseshoe crabs, blueblooded daysailors, drag queens, and lobsters. The boys have expanded their grasp of natural history.

We spent the weekend at Chris and Gayla's lakeside camp (read cabin) in Rangeley, Maine, a place absolutely identical to Brimson except for the mountains that rise in the distance and large hills near the lake. White pine and birch abound, as do mosquitos and black flies. But we were beyond that season--we felt the first breath of autumn and stayed snug inside while it rained and rained. We're not pollyannas, finding a silver lining in every obstacle, but this was just what we needed--a weekend of books, games, and easy comfort among great friends.

We're in Vermont this morning with Arleigh (Genie's neice) and Jay, and the two youngest progeny of the Petrovits line, newborn twins Sophia and Taj. From here we leave family and country behind. We plan to camp every night across Canada, depending on whether we can escape the sights of Montreal later today. Plenty of miles of two-lane Canadian shield highway lie between us and home waters.

© 2006 Michael Nordskog