Act Three????

So the kids are back in school . . . and I'm floundering.  I had two plans.  One involved revising my resume and submitting it for some adjunct teaching - which I did - only to have no response.  I've called but it appears there is no room at the inn for now.  Plan two is more far fetched, less likely to have any success, and requires me to jump off a hypothetical cliff with no safety harness in sight.  I thought I could it, but I appear frozen at the precipice. 

So how does one go about creating Act III?  I can't work full time as my parenting services are needed, but I need something.  The all encompassing question of "what do I want to be when I grow up" looms frightfully before me.  I am so damn fortunate that I have this choice at this time; so I just need to slide on my big girl panties and jump.

It's Hot

I'm trying to ignore it by planning trips for the fall and preparing the kids to return to school next week, BUT IT"S HOT!!!!!  AND HUMID!!!!  AND MISERABLE!!!!!

As the wretched weather had melted my brain, that's all I've got . . .

Lake Sunapee Hike

A summer hike in New Hampshire's Mount Sunapee.

Only two miles up to the top!

Of course the kids would have rather rode up, but alas it was not open when we were there.  Maybe we'll have to visit again in the winter.

From above, a view of Lake Sunapee and Little lake Sunapee, and two tired hikers!

Mount Sunapee (or Sunapee Mountain on federal maps) is a 5-mile (8.0 km)-long mountain ridge in the towns of Newbury and Goshen in western New Hampshire. Its highest peak, at the north end of the mountain, is 2,726 feet (831 m) above sea level. The mountain has three secondary peaks, White Ledges at 2,716 ft (828 m); North Peak at 2,280 ft (695 m); and South Peak at 2,608 ft (795 m). The north end of the mountain, including the summit, is within Mount Sunapee State Park, which encompasses 3.85 square miles (10.0 km²). . . .
The entire mountain ridge is traversed by the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway, a hiking trail that links the summit of Sunapee with that of Mount Monadnock, 50 miles (80 km) to the south in the town of  Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Also crossing the summit in an east-west route is a section of the Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway, a 75-mile (121 km) trail linking ten towns in west-central New Hampshire as it circles the Lake Sunapee region and crosses the summits of the three mountains for which it is named. The two Greenway trails meet at Lake Solitude and use the same trail to the summit.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Sunapee

Fly Away Friday

Route de Vin

Kaysersberg, France

2006

Hansi, the famous Alsatian artist, said the following of Kaysersberg: "The situation of Kaysersberg, its unusual silhouette and its numerous ancient constructions make it the prettiest city on the Wine Road". The high fortress that dominates the city serves as a reminder of its strategic importance and its violent past. However, today Kaysersberg seems more appropriate as the perfect setting for an Alsatian festival with its medieval atmosphere created by the pretty half-timbered houses that have been well preserved. Vines also surround the city and to insure that we do not forget their importance there is an old stone well with an interesting inscription:

"Do you drink water at the table ?
It will chill your stomach.
Drink with moderation old and subtil wine.
I advise you to do as such and as for me, leave the water to the side..."

-http://www.visit-alsace.com/kaysersberg/index.html

Breathe In Slowly

Merano, Italy 2008

Hoping that the mountain pictures will help me to breathe in slowly

before dealing with pre-teen with bad attitude.

What Kind of Parents . . .

. . . would take their children to a place where heads are stuck on tree tops?

And scary masks hang from trees?

Monsters jump out from behind rocks. . .

. . .Throwing up their arms to yell "BOO!!!!!!"

And waving an angry fist?

All the while, unfriendly trolls stared down from tree tops?

Causing their children to run and hide in tunnels?

What kind of parent would do such a thing ;)

I'm Back

I didn't really mean to disapear - it's just summer, home with the kids, some health stuff, a trip to Maine, a crazy trip to Norway, and just life.  However, summer is drawing to an end here (only in the sense that the kids return to school in a little over two weeks).  And I need to return to my life - plug in and get going. 

Norway has been on our mind a lot since last Friday. Our trip there in May was very stressful and we eventually had to laugh and accept that everything was not going to go according to plan. Now our problems seem so trivial.   The pictures below are a tribute to the beauty of Norway and wishes for healing.

Bergen, Norway

May 2011