HaPpY BiRtHdAy HaNdShAkE

Happy birthday to the newest member of our our family! Claire we could not be happier to celebrate all the wonderful things you are. You came into this crazy family and made it complete.

One of the best things you brought is to us is another great game player. No longer do Carter and I have to only play two person games. The only problem is you are hard to beat. In every way!

We hope that Carter is celebrating you to the giant extent you deserve. We will do more celebrating when you are in Maine with us again.

So on this day that you came into the world we raise our glasses to you, even if mine just has iced tea, know that our hearts are full of love for you. Happy Birthday!

Beautiful Day

It is a gorgeous Maine day. I hear down south it’s hot as Fourth of July firecracker. My friend Shanon sent me a photo of her thermometer in her car in Ft. Worth TX and it said 112°. Oh Lord. I hated telling her it was 72° here, but did in the hopes that she would come visit.

Sadly Carter had to fly back to Boston today, but not until we played a few more games of Monopoly Deal. I can’t wait for her to come back and bring Claire so we can play it with three people. See, Russ won’t play games with us. It is the only hint wrong with him. Might be a good thing he does not like games because if he liked them as much as I do we might be in the poor house.

Russ and I made a little lunch and went to walk the breakwater. It is Shay’s favorite walk. She accepted all the adoration from the many walkers today. I was listening to my book as I walked which made it go particularly fast.

On our way home we stopped by a vegetable stand that one of our neighbors has. I had asked her earlier if she had any red peppers. She asked her husband who was out harvesting. She said they had two and she would save them for us to get later. When we stopped by she had them in a bag with a bonus pepper. I also got the most beautiful broccoli that was $1.25 a head! And big tomatoes for a dollar a piece. We tipped generously as these prices were crazy. I see some gazpacho in our future since they also have cucumbers.

I made chicken curry for dinner because Russ really wanted rice. It had been a while since he had rice and he just can’t go that long without it. Not a very Maine menu but yummy nonetheless.

Grey day

I awoke to a grey day here in Owl’s Head. It may be overcast, but I am so enjoying the cool weather. It was at least 20° cooler here than it is in Durham. I had to wear a sweatshirt and jeans and I was still cool.

Russ and Carter worked most of the day. I worked on the puzzle that Jan gave Carter and Claire. It was supposed to rain all day, but the most we got was some drizzle. The weather did not prevent me from having fun.

The Beth’s Raspberry Jam did brighten the day. If you have a chance to stop at Beth’s buy lots of jam to bring home.

Tonight we went to the crooked spoon for dinner. They are only open two night so snagging a table a few weeks ago was lucky. The celebrated couple who run the place change the menu every night, so we order one of everything, since they only have three starters and three pastas. I am not sure if I have a favorite as they all were good. I am so happy we shared everything and ai got to taste it all. And we brought leftover home. Wonder who is eating those tomorrow?

Maine Sunday

Cool and a little foggy this morning still not help me to sleep in. So up with the sun I was. I had an early morning zoom lesson with a student in Switzerland and seeing her beautiful mountain sights was awe inspiring.

By the time I was done everyone was up in my house. We went on a big family walk with Shay leading the way. Shay knows all the routes around here and decided where and how far we would go. Since it was barley 70° it was perfect walking weather.

Carter and I have a new game, Monopoly deal. We played a whole bunch, but she is ahead by one game. We had to play one more game when we were at 9-11, not wanting to sleep on that score.

We had a yummy dinner made from all things from Beth’s; A corn salad with tomatoes, jalapeños, green onion, feta and basil, green beans with lemon, and chicken thighs and new potatoes with grilled lemon slices. It was the most expensive chicken thighs I have even bought, but the flavor…. Totally worth the money.

It has been such a treat to have Carter here for this quick trip. Maine Sundays are the best.

Stocking the House

Carter has never been here when we stock the house. She wanted to see Beth’s farm market with me. So I had to wait for her to wake up this morning.

I was up with the sunrise at 5:30, way before anyone else was up. It was a gorgeous sunrise, but I could have missed it if only I could sleep longer.

Once Carter was up we went off to Atlantic Baking company and got some bread. We were having BLT’s for lunch and needed the good sourdough loaf.

Then we were off to Beth’s. You can tell there has been a drought because the cantalopes were tiny and the corn was thinner than I like it. But the tomatoes and blueberry’s were good as was kale, lettuce, cucumbers, garlic, green beans, potatoes, peaches and zucchini. I broke down and bought some very expensive chicken thighs. Farm chicken is costly, but hopefully delicious.

We went home to make the best BLT’s ever. After lunch I had to go to Ocean state to stock up on shampoo and toilet paper. There were two fancy women, an older mother and old daughter who were buying coffee mugs and glasses and a spatula. They were obviously from out of state and were dressed too fine to have shopped at an Ocean State before.

They had not brought a bag in with them and were shocked to find out that bags were a luxury. They also tried to leave the line twice to go get other things they just remembered they needed. They gave up on doing that when they realized they would have to carry their items. No one was wrapping those glasses in paper and putting them in a box for them. Not at fifty cents a glass.

After all this stocking we did not eat another meal at home as we had a reservation at the contented sole in New Harbor. It was a nice trip there for a really yummy dinner. We brought plenty home so we will have it again.

It was a great treat to have Carter with us for the start of the month. Can’t wait to have Claire and a Carter together again over Labor Day. No stocking will be needed.

The Final Push

The last day of driving to Maine is always the worst because I am so ready to get here. We started off in Connecticut this morning at 7:30. We had a tight window to get to Carter’s and pick her up. She came up with us for a few days which is such a bonus.

She had a call this morning and so we could not show up while she was on her call, but we had to get her in time to be able to make it to Newburyport to meet our friends Janet and Frank for lunch. Thankfully all the timing worked. And we made it to lunch right as Janet and Frank got there.

They live in Arizona now, but still come to New England in the summer. Thankfully our paths crossed this year. We had a lovely visit, but it was too short.

Back on the road to Portland for a Trader Joe’s stop. There was very little room left in the car, but we were able to get some necessities. The last hour and a half half was more like two hours thanks to Friday summer Maine traffic. The back up in Wiscasset started three miles earlier than it usually does. I hate Wiscasset for it. We got through and arrived at our house just before 6.

That was a long day for what would have been a five hour drive if we had done it straight through on the most direct route. But we are here now. Happy as can be.

We already went to Claws and had our first lobster roll. Yeah Maine.

Tour of Connecticut Day

I was the chauffeur and dog sitter today. We left Russ’ fathers house early with me at the wheel so Russ could be on calls while I whisked him to his first meeting of the day in Westport, CT. While he enjoyed lunch at Terrain meeting with his colleague, Shay and I were walking the big Westport dog park. It is actually a park that happened to only have people with dogs in it.

There was not one person without a dog and some with many dogs. So the dogs out numbered the people by at least twice. Shay, as a dog who does not care for other dogs was very well behaved and let all the dogs greet her who wanted to. Shay greeted all the people, since she considers them her equals, but not their dogs.

From the Westport meeting we wheeled our way into the middle of Connecticut. Russ had a meeting in West Hartford, as we were going to all the West places, but we are staying in Simsbury. Shay and I got dropped off at our Inn while Russ went to his meeting. We took another big walk in town, but no dogs were visited.

We enjoyed dinner outside with Shay when Russ returned and then made a quick run over the the Ethel Walker School, where I had gone to boarding school. I showed Russ all my buildings, Beaver Brook, where I had the same room on the third floor two years in a row. The Chapel, where I spoke loudly and often, and Cluett, my senior dorm. The school looked great.

It was a fast tour through my old home state. Tomorrow we are off to pick Carter up on our way to Maine. At last.

A Little Brown Dog Visits Icepa

I knew Mommy and Daddy were going to somewhere and I was nervous. The laundry baskets were full of folded clothes and Mommy had many bags full of random stuff scattered around the house. It was not until Mommy packed my flower tote bag with all my treats, medicine and toys that I knew I was going. My only question was, “Am I going on the whole trip, or just to Mary’s?”

Daddy put me in my car bed and as soon as we got on the highway I knew I was going on the whole trip. Hooray for me.

We stopped in Columbia Md. for lunch. Daddy offered me bacon and chicken, but I was disinterested. So I was happy to get back in my car bed for the rest of the trip to Icepa’s.

We arrived very early and I ran right in the house to greet Icepa. Aunt Tasha and Uncle David came to see me too and brought our dinner. It was great to see my people and be adored by them. I love going on a trip.

Mah Jongg for a Mission

This looks like a save the date, but the registration is open and seats are starting to fill. I will be directing this tournament to benefit Caring House. I am happy with their leadership and so am thrilled to be supporting Caring House again.

This is going to be a very friendly tournament. If you sign up as a table of four I will put you together for the first round. Then you will all move to different tables. No need to sign up with friends. Everyone there will be your friend. This is a low pressure event. Three games in an hour for score. You can play more if you play fast, but only the first three will count towards the prizes.

There will be a good social time as well as great games. The evening starts at 5:30 so you don’t even have to take the day off work to come ply. To secure your spot click on this link to register. Feel free to share with your friends. This event will sellout and so don’t wait until the last minute to sign up. https://secucaringhouse.org/save-the-date-mahjong-for-a-mission/

Can’t wait to Mahj for Caring House.

East of Texas

Russ went to see his barber Tony today. Tony has been Russ’ barber for like 20 years. He started at American Tobacco, then moved, then moved back and Russ has followed him everywhere. Tony and the brothers who frequent his barber shop are always talking about what is going on in town. Not to Russ, but Russ takes in all the information just the same.

Today he found out that a new Texas BBQ spot had just opened at ATC. The name is East of Texas. Tony said he had spent all his money there this week it was that good.

Since we have eaten all the food in our house Russ said he could pick something up on his way home from getting my Mom’s car inspected for her.

Russ ordered the taco salad in the shell with smoked chicken. I got the salad not in the shell with beef brisket. Oooh boy. We both liked our dinners. The street corn in my salad was really good as was the brisket.

Apparently they are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I do not need BBQ for breakfast. Frankly I don’t ever need BBQ, but as a treat once in a while it was good. I hope this place succeeds. American Tobacco needs another good place.

Shoes for Maine

The best thing about Maine is nothing is expected of me. NO one cares what you wear in Maine. No one is looking at a senior citizen anyway. Now that I am 65 I technically am a senior citizen.

We do go to some nice places to eat and no one is dressed up. If they are they aren’t from Maine and they stand out as tourists. It’s so laid back, and happy.

The things I do in Maine, walk on the break water, hike with Russ and Shay, eat lobster rolls, go antiquing with my friend Warren, have friends visit, go to Beth’s farm stand, work on puzzles, read and watch the water. So three pairs of shoes are more than enough.

Bad Sleeping

Last night was my first night home with Russ and Shay and I should have slept great to be in my own bed. Not the case. I woke up at 2:45 and never went back to sleep. For God’s sake! What a mess.

I was at half, no that’s too generous, I was a quarter productive today. I went to pick up some things from Needlepoint. One being my mother’s pillow she was worried she was not going to live long enough to see finished. I knew that was not going to be the case. There is nothing wrong with her. She is around for the long haul. Still free hand needlepointing.

I did take a little nap this afternoon. Russ and I were going on a little date night and I wanted to be awake. On our way there we stopped by my Mom’s to deliver her pillow. She was thrilled.

I was happy I was just upright. Tonight. Tonight I am going to sleep, come hell or high water.

THE MOST Fabulous Tournament

Such a fun day at the Coral Bay Club. We had a room packed with the nicest ladies to play mah Jongg for the best Prizes. Fun was had by all.

This was the first of its kind at Coral Bay and Bailey’s Fine Jewelry was the best sponsor ever. Thanks to the best Kristi Blizzard who came early and helped me set up. The staff at Coral Bay was outstanding and the Bailey’s Ladies were tops. The flowers and table cloths made for a beautiful room.

The players, new and experienced alike, were kind and considerate and I wish I had a prize for the most honest players.

The race was tight by the second round, but the third round saw a big change in the leader board. The top winner got a $500 Bailey’s gift card and he other ten prizes were fabulous too!

Thanks to Blair and Emily and the Bailey team and Jane Bailey for bringing the fun.

We will be adding one rule to the rule card about no phones at the game table. Did not anticipate that problem and I am sorry for those who were inconvenienced.

It was a great way to end my summer classes. I’m off on vacation And just private lessons for the next five weeks. If you missed my classes I’ll be back at Home for Entertaining in Sept. as well as Govenors Club and NorthRidge CC.

Keep playing and practicing and maybe next year you can win a Baileys gift card. If you can’t you can still make a wishlist of things you want to them to tell your husband about.

The Party Before the Tournament

We finished up classes at Coral Bay today. Just in the nick of time because the second the last class was over it was time to go to the cocktail party for the kick off of the mah Jongg tournament at coral Bay tomorrow.

My life was greatly improved by the addition of Bailey’s Fine Jewelry as the sponsor of the tournament. When Coral Bay bought into my idea for a tournament we did not have a sponsor. When Bailey’s heard about the tournament and asked to be the involved Coral Bay said, “We will ask Dana.”

My answer was, “ABSOLUTELY!”

Bailey’s has been a dream to work with. They decorated, did all the printing, is providing an extensive suite of prizes, ran the cocktail party and brought in a fun shopping experience. The jewelry is fabulous and fun clothes and gifts from the Posh Pelican.

The party was a wonderful chance to get to see so many mah Jongg friends who are going to be playing tomorrow. And meet new friends. I can’t wait for it all to get started. If you are missing it this year, you need to put next year’s on your calendar!

Where Would You Like to Go on a Mah Jongg Trip?

Another beautiful day here in Atlantic Beach. I think it was hot and still outside, but I was just enjoying the view from the climate controlled inside of the Coral Bay Club. Between classes I ran into my friend Lee who was with some friends from Chapel Hill.

Tonight Kristi and I delivered one of my mother’s paintings to my friends Scottie and Barry. Scottie picked her own birthday present out and I was happy to deliver it to her and get to catch up. I loved seeing what she was stitching.

We went to dinner at Island Grill and after sat outside on Kristi’s deck enjoying the sunset until the bugs got us. Kristi is a great brain stormer and she was thinking of more Mah Jongg ideas for me. She wants me to do more resort retreats/tournaments/new types of classes.

So where would you like to go on a girl’s mah Jongg trip and what would you like to do with me? Let me know your thoughts as Kristi had many and I want to see if anyone else might be interested.

I would like a Europe mah Jongg trip. Just throwing it out there.

Tonight I Crash

This week I’m at the beach teaching all week. After 8 years of coming here to teach I think I have covered a significant portion of the people who might be able to play mah Jongg. I did what I have done for years and got up at five in the morning to make the three hour drive. I taught two classes and when I was done, I was done.

Thank goodness I am staying with my friend Kristi. She has a wonderful comfortable house and it is just the two of us since I am here on weekdays. I arrived at her house and put my stuff in my usual room. We caught up before going to Mar for dinner.

Kristi and I are compatible dining companions and split an appetizer and entree which was perfect. By the time dinner was over I was ready for bed. And Kristi understands when I have been driving and talking all day that it is not personal.

Nothing better than an understanding and kind friend. Tomorrow I might be better company. Tonight I crash.

Janie Texting Russ

Russ is an excellent son-in-law to my mother. He deals with all her tech issues from her phone, computer, iPad, to her car ad even plumbing. When she gets strange mail he figures out what it is about and reassures her that mail fraud is the worst offense so criminals rarely us the US Mail.

My mother’s eyesight is failing, but that is no explanation for her texts. She has rarely used punctuation or even reread a text before sending it. So the text she sent to Russ today was not an seeing problem, but also not unusual. But it is such a classic it deserves to be memorialized.

For the record, in my mother’s life she has never used the word “ass” in any conversation ever. So I am certain she has no idea this is what she wrote. What does she really mean? One can only guess. When will she be home? Again, your guess is as good as mine.

If Church Was Produced By Andy Cohen…

Today I was the lector at church. We started the Book of Esther. Our Pastor Chris had two other lector’s, Rachel and Bill Join me so we could each read different parts of the Verses.

In the intro, which I read, I mentioned “listen for it as something resembling satire, humor that both disarms and hides a larger point.”

As the story unfolded we learned that this king, who threw multiple days longs parties, where drinking was “required,” not just encouraged. Towards the end he wanted his beautiful Queen to be brought into the drunken party for all the men to … fill in the blank.

So far, no satire s far as I could tell.

So the Queen refused to go into the drunken party.

You go girl. Smart woman.

But the men thought that was going to give all the other women permission not to obey all the time. So they decided to throw her out as queen. And they gathered a committee to gather all the virgins to check them all out and pick a new queen.

And that is where the story of today ended.

Chris said we were going to be reading Esther for the next six weeks. This is like a limited run mini series. Talk about a way to get people to come to church in the dead of summer. Give them a big soap opera, with some despicable male characters and leave the audience at a cliff drop moment.

Thank goodness we will be here next Sunday because I need to know what happens. Yes, Chris already told us to read ahead, but reading the Bible alone is not as fun as hearing the gasps and seeing the facial expressions of people hearing the story live.

It’s like Andy Cohen producing a Real Housewives Season. He gives you just enough shit and breaks for next week. Leaving you wondering what is going to happen.

The one thing I know is almost every story where they say, “gather all the virgins,” It is rarely good for the virgins.

Good Fig Year

We have this fig tree that has grown dramatically into our driveway. Russ loves it so it stays. Some years it gives good figs. Some years not so much. The wildlife in our yard love the figs. Deer, squirrels and even a possum I saw the other night have been gathering ripe figs for themselves.

Those animals are very smart. There were hundreds and hundreds of green hard figs on the tree for weeks and no one tried to take one. The second the get purple and ripe the animals are out harvesting.

We usually get two rounds of figs and I don’t understand why. We get a Fe w really early figs. This year it was about half a dozen. They were big and juicy. Then we get a second round. Usually they don’t come in until just about the time we are leaving for Maine so we miss them.

Amazingly, they have come in two to three weeks early this year. We have gathered a good number. Tonight I made a fig and gorgonzola pizza with caramelized onions, and arugula. So yummy and the figs were the star, which is really hard when competing with Gorgonzola.

Not sure what Russ is going to do with the other figs as I will be out of town all week. He can always share them with the possum.