Cape May

I took the second of my summer adventures this week. I found myself in the unusual position of having my house empty. All of my children are gone (temporarily). Four are off to Scout Camp (2 as participants and 2 as leaders) and one to my sister's house in Tucson, AZ. Knowing this to be the case, I made plans a couple of months ago and convinced a dear, hardworking friend to take a little time off and come play with me.

Part of this adventure was to take the Cape May-Lewes Ferry across the Delaware Bay and this turned out to be one of my favorite parts. It made this fairly long trip such a pleasure. We drove for about 2 1/2 hours to the ferry terminal at Lewes, DE, rode the boat for about an hour and twenty minutes in a lovely breeze watching lighthouses on silent duty, dolphins seeming almost curious about us, and Coast Guard soldiers keeping us safe along the way. When the ferry docked, we were literally moments from our hotel. I highly recommend this as a way to get to the Jersey Shore from the Baltimore-Washington area. It is not cheap-our fare was 41.00 one-way, and it goes up with more passengers. Here are the advantages, though, at least for me:

1. Once you're on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, the trip to Lewes is off the beaten path through pleasant towns on country roads-no traffic jams, no tolls except the Bay Bridge.
   
2. There is less driving, even though the time from door to door is about the same or a bit longer.
3. We went home the non-ferry way and paid about 20 dollars in tolls, plus we got caught in the Wilmington-Philly rush hour traffic-Eeeww.
   
4. It was a simply lovely boat ride. Here is the view of Cape May as you come into the terminal:

We got to our lodgings, the lovely old Inn of Cape May around 4:30 on Monday evening. Our room was not terribly modern or luxurious, but it was quaint and quirky, which I liked. The only disadvantage was the air conditioning unit. It cooled the room, but was loud enough to wake me up in the night as it cycled on and off. There are tons of hotels/motels in Cape May plus all the wonderful Victorian homes-cum-B&B's all over town. There are also some amazing top-drawer rental homes. Nearby is the quieter community of Cape May Point comprised of cottages, rental homes and permanent residents, plus there is the party town of Wildwood just to the north.

After we settled in, we took a trolley tour around the town and it was okay. We learned a lot about the history of the town, but the narration was not really matched to the locations we were driving past. This is a great way to see all the beautiful Painted Lady Victorian homes though. After our trolley ride was some fun shopping and delicious frozen custard. It was really fun to be out on the square with everyone. It is a small town, so many, many people are on bicycles, which just enhances the beachy, slowed-down pace of this lovely coastal town.

On Tuesday, we woke up early, and while we missed the sun actually coming over the horizon, the cloud cover and morning mist yielded a spectacular extended sunrise show, plus the bonus of a huge rainbow in the sky as we walked across the street to the beach.
It was really a lovely morning. I like the beach best before 9 am and after 4 pm-no crowds, gentler sun and quiet. After our walk on the beach, we enjoyed a delicious full breakfast at, which was included with our room, at the hotel restaurant.



We got ready and got out the door at a leisurely pace appropriate for two off-duty moms with absolutely no obligations awaiting us at home. We had two goals for the day: touring the Emlen Physick Estate and exploring the Cape May Lighthouse. Both of these are maintained by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, a community group that was formed to preserve the character and history of Cape May. They offered a discounted double ticket to the estate and the lighthouse for 16 dollars. It was a dollar savings. This organization has a wide variety of tours, including regular and themed, such as Haunted Tours and combo tours of the various attractions they manage. The house tour was on a schedule and lasted about 45 minutes. The lighthouse has no guided tours, just 199 steps that you can climb whenever you want. Both were worthwhile and offered a lot of history and information about the area. The estate would NOT be fun for kids of any age unless they are a history buff, plus there is a lot of self-control required to not touch anything, sit on anything or lean against the walls. It was an excellent, informative tour, and the house is spectacularly decorated and meticulously restored. It is a fine example of the Victorian Style.

The lighthouse could be enjoyed by anyone capable of self-locomotion up the steps. I wouldn't want to coax or carry a toddler up, but older kids would be rewarded with a wonderful view and a lot of fun facts about lighthouses.
After resting our legs a bit and enjoying the summer afternoon, we headed home. Actual driving time was probably about 3 hours, lengthened to around 4 1/2 by a stop at a farm stand, a stop for dinner and that blasted traffic jam. The highlights of the drive home were the crossing of the Delaware River on the spectacular twin spans of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, crossing the Susquehanna with the sun getting low, and watching a gorgeous sunset over the Baltimore skyline just before we dipped into the Ft. McHenry tunnel. For geography geeks, I thought it was cool to make the trip there across the actual Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, then to come home over the rivers which form those very bays.

So, there you have it. A summer adventure for grown-ups. Why should the kids have all the fun?

read more

Anniversary

Today marks 22 years since Eric and I tied the knot.
We snuck out to spend the afternoon together in the midst of a busy day of swimming competition, getting everyone ready for scout camp and reclaiming the house from the usual weekly wear and tear.Our first stop was the Washington D.C. Temple visitor's center. I had submitted 3 photos to my first ever juried exhibit and was quite thrilled to have one of my images (the one of the redwood trees from California) chosen to be hung! It was even better because three friends also had images chosen to be in the show. Anything is more fun with friends along. One friend received a Judges' Choice Award. Congratulations Jeri! I really enjoyed looking at all the chosen photos. It was a good experience to see what is considered worthy of inclusion. I feel energized and motivated to continue to learn and improve and enjoy my photography all the more.

Next we went to an early dinner. We tried for my new favorite restaurant, Victoria Gastro Pub, but they weren't serving dinner yet so we settled on a reliable favorite-PF Chang's. That one is by the mall so after our yummy food, we got the chance to go ogle Power Macs and iPhones at the Apple Store. My next computer is a little ways away, but it is fun to dream. Eric is great for dreaming right along with me. That is definitely one of the reasons we work so well together. He always supports my dreams and especially my realities, with never a complaint about any of my many pursuits.Now we're home and back to the real world of last-minute packing and other preparations for the week ahead. I'm getting ready for a marathon session of sewing patches on scout shirts, hemming pants and other tasks while Eric indulges in a little rare tv watching and finishing up some high-powered lawyer stuff. Bless his heart-his work never ends.

So, while this may seem like a very un-romantic anniversary, it really represents the very best of our life together-we're good at running a family together and at the end of the day, he's my greatest comfort. Our lives are so good every day, with so many little kindnesses and caring attentions, that when the subject of gifts comes up, we just look at each other and chuckle and wonder what we could possibly get for each other-we have everything we could ever want.

read more

Warning

I now have a reason to truly get behind global warming. I found this truly disturbing.

read more

Fort McHenry With 5 Older Kids

Here is my report of my first official Summer Adventure!



My youngest is 12 and my oldest is 21, and this was a fun outing. If you live in this area or are planning a trip to this area, it can be a nice, short experience. Our trip was a total of 2 hours including travel time from my house, which is about 25 minutes without traffic. We made it through the visitors' center (including a 15 minute movie) in about 25 minutes, then spent about an hour exploring the fort. As for the driving, I went with no prior experience and I found the the brown national park signs adequate to get me there, but I still keep an ADC map with me at all times to supplement whatever directions I find on the web. I think that helped with the one turn where the sign really could be pointing to either of two possible left turns and you have to be able to see the name of the tiny little street sign to be sure you are turning correctly.

Because of the historical significance of Fort McHenry, I would venture to say that this could be on every American's Life List of Places to Visit. It was my first in-person visit and it was well-worth it. Growing up around here, it was always in my consciousness-I'd seen the giant flag down at the Smithsonian, I'd heard the story, I felt that "Baltimore Pride" about the National Anthem, knew the significance, etc. and let that suffice for a long time. Visiting the fort itself brought all that to life in a very immediate, emotional way. The fort was interesting, with many areas opened up to the public and nicely maintained exhibits showing life at the fort, including living quarters, munitions storage, and good signs all around. The kids really liked the views of the Baltimore Harbor, the cannons, and reading about how they have different sizes of flags and change the flag based on the current weather conditions. (Big flags need a lot of wind.)

Our docent was an older gentleman who showed genuine emotion about the role of Fort McHenry in our nation's history. His presentation was the highlight for me. As Corinne said in her post about it, surviving the war of 1812 was a close shave, and I really enjoyed learning more of the details about that.

So, I highly recommend this as a great place for families to visit. It is mere minutes from the Baltimore Inner Harbor and could easily be combined with an afternoon visit to the MD Science Center or the National Aquarium in Baltimore. In fact, my kids asked if we could go do something in the inner harbor. We had other plans for the afternoon, but I wish I'd planned better because they are so close.


Cross-posted to Summer Adventure Challenge

read more

Thanks

Thanks for the love, friends. Your comments really helped me get through a rough day. My friend made it too, and is feeling a bit better for now.

Today I'm off on the first of my official Summer Adventure Challenge activities: Fort McHenry with the kids. Everyone is here and they are actually enthusiastic about going. More later then.

read more

An Attempt at Distraction

I am on a suicide watch for a friend (seriously) so not much sleep last night and now I wait for her call to know if she made it through the night. She lives in an assisted living facility, so she's not alone, but the fact that she hasn't called has my mind racing as to whether something actually happened this time or if this is her regular monthly suicide threat to manipulate me into spending more time with her and she's merely sleeping soundly. I try to keep my blog happy so I don't say too much about this, but this relationship has become a really big part of my life and sometimes it gets to be a little heavy on my shoulders. A dear friend who also knows A. went over with me last night to try and calm her down, pray with her and get her settled into bed. Now it's just hour by hour to try and convince her not to take her life. It is so painful to see her empty eyes and feel her despair.

So, in the midst of someone else's darkness, I tried to focus on my own light. I spent some time in the space before and after my 4 hours of trying to sleep making this collage of my son Johnathan at the temple last week. He is preparing to serve his mission for our church in September and one of the important steps of preparation is attending the temple for the first time. It is a rite of passage for a latter-day saint-a special worship service that involves the making of promises and receiving of blessings--it signifies a deepening commitment to one's faith. For a parent who tries to transmit values and hopes a child will choose a path that I believe will yield the happiest possible life, it is a lovely thing to see this child choose to take this step. It means that he has chosen this religion for himself and is starting to act on his own belief, rather than rely on the example and routines of his family.

Well, my friend just called. She's still alive. I guess I can get on with my day, at least for now. Thanks for reading.

read more

Memory Game

I got this from Everybody! Play!!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

read more

Out on a Limb

Okay, I'm doing it! I'm submitting these pictures to the Monuments of Faith juried Exhibition today! I named them "The Ancients," "Future is Bright," and "Stays Together." I'll let you know if they get picked to hang in the show!

read more

A Little Music Video

Here is Evan's drumset performance at the end of his camp last week. He had a lot of fun. I may have had more fun with iMovie, but we'll call it a tie.

read more

Let's Do the Ramble

This week has been ruled by the day-camp schedules of Evan and Sara. Not a bad thing, just a bit more structure than I generally like in the summer. It's okay though because I always get more done when I have structure.

Evan has drum set camp from 9-12 at a nearby high school. I have a friend to carpool with. My only stress there is the (not) fun process of getting him up (my happy-go-lucky boy has been replaced by a pre-teen. sigh.) and remembering to check the email with today's driving schedule on it so I know whether or not I just push him out the door to the waiting arms of my friend or if I have to get myself together and go pick up friend's daughter.

Sara is in Volleyball camp from 1-4 at a community center in Glenwood that is 20 miles from my house and takes 30 minutes to get there. Not quite so simple as there is no one to carpool with, but...

View Larger Map
(for some reason, this map, when I view it, won't show the route I take-I go up 32. It would be 25 miles this way. Irrelevant, but I get so annoyed when computers won't do what I tell them to. If you click on the view larger map link, the route is correct. Weird.)

...the car ride yields time to talk with her one way and time to listen to books and music of my choice the other way. A couple of the days it will work out for me to just hang out up there, and that will add some variety to our week as well, so it's all good.

In other news, Jeff sprained his ankle, so his re-entry to real life has been slowed a bit by laying on the couch doing the RICE routine for his injury. I haven't taken him to the Dr. yet because he is not currently on our insurance, so hopefully my diagnosis is correct and it is a sprain. All the evidence says so.

We celebrated Evan and Johnathan's birthdays on Sunday with all the fam. It will be so strange when my sis moves to KY in a few weeks-it will only be my folks and us for family get-togethers. I'll have to learn to cook normally instead of for at least 15.

I couldn't stand it any more and broke down and watered the very sad, droopy hydrangeas. Naturally, it rained last night as a result. In my defense, it has only been little spits of rain in the night-times this week, and well, they just looked pathetic. If the skies don't open up with an actual downpour today, I may just have to water them again.

I've started recording a yoga show on FitTV. I really like Yoga. I think in the fall I'm going to take a class. When it is done properly, it is much more like dance than "excercise." I'm also signed up for a 10K in September. I've never run that distance, so I'm excited to see if I can get faster.

So, there you have it. A busy summer week in the life of a 41-year old woman. With older kids, I really can't write too much about their exploits because they are so much more aware (some of them actually read my blog), so sometimes I really feel like I'm reaching for something to write about. Believe me, I wish I could tell you about how **** is now regularly carrying *** ***** around in *** ***, but I really can't. Or how **** ***** every time ** is in the ********. But, because my blog would be really annoying to read with all those asterisks, you'll just have to imagine how funny and entertaining and sometimes completely exasperating my kids really are...

read more

A Hometown 4th

I love Independence Day. I especially love it in my hometown of Catonsville, MD. This is a suburban town, right on the edge of Baltimore Maryland, but it is like an oasis of Americana to me. It looks the same as when I lived there 25 years ago, it is full of older homes and mature trees, with a church on almost every block, people who have lived there forever, and a strong sense of place. We go to my parents' home every year to barbecue, watch the parade and enjoy the fireworks. The traditions have changed a little in all these years, but mostly it is a laid back day of long walks, the warmth of a summer afternoon and the only time that I feel comfortable in a crowd.
Here is the day through my eyes:
My parents fly this flag all year round. We walk two blocks from their house to the main street where folks have set their chairs out days before to save a spot for watching the Parade.
There are all the usual parade-y elements: Banners, Fire Trucks, Marching Bands, Whole Wagons Full of Accordion Players (!), Dogs in Trucks Wearing Bandanas, Old Soldiers, Bagpipes, and Foam Liberty Crowns Advertising For Local Businesses (you can see the Evan scored big in this area).


In the evening, we walk, with about 100,000 other people, down to the high school for the fireworks. This year, because of the threat of rain, it was a much smaller crowd, but it was still friendly, with everyone wishing everyone else a "Happy Fourth!" A newer tradition is the hundreds of glow necklaces at the fireworks, along with the sparklers and other small fireworks that people play with while waiting for the big fireworks to start. This year I forgot to get mine from the dollar store so we shelled out the 2 bucks each and hoped that the hawkers really needed the money. It was worth the fun the kids had with them.

Happy Birthday America!

read more

I really liked this meme from Dawn. I had a lot of fun searching for photos and finding images to match my answers. Consider yourself tagged! Let me know if you make one so I can make sure to check it out.

Here are the instructions:

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

2. Use only the first page of results, and pick one image.

3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.

I tried to limit myself a bit and chose the 8th image off the first page each time. Just to randomize it a bit. Dawn chose from the 17th page.

Onto the questions and my answers:

1. What is your first name? Kellie (I swear I never knew that I'm named after a Castle! I'm totally going to visit there someday!)

2. What is your favorite food? Chocolate-I tried stroganoff, my favorite comfort entree, but the pictures were just not pretty.

3. What high school did you go to? Catonsville High School, Catonsville, MD. There was NO Badminton team when I was there.

4. What is your favorite color? blue-green. I love this photo-it is definitely my palette captured in one image.

5. Who is your celebrity crush? Harrison Ford-I know I know-he's old enough to be my father, but he was so gorgeous in the Star Wars years. Sigh. (If you look closely, the photo is a lego man encased in ice, mimicking Han Solo's imprisonment in Carbonite. That just made me laugh out loud.

6. What is your favorite drink? Good old water...

7. What is your dream vacation? Sail around the world. This shot is from England. I want to go everywhere, and sailing seems the ideal way to get there.

8. What is your favorite dessert? Chocolate Mousse. This is a photo of Mickey Mousse. Cute.

9. What did you want to be when you grow up? A Mom

10. What do you love most in life? My family

11. What is one word that describes you? Hopeful

12. What is your flickr name? Lelliekin. There were no hits on this so I cheated a bit. It is a reverse combination of my names: Kellie and Lin, so I took the same idea and searched for flutterby, the words that the term Butterfly were formed from.


Here are the photo credits:
Kellie Castle, Chocolate Mousse Cake
Catonsville High Badminton, My Home, Carbonite, The Water Source, Church, the boat and the Sea, Mickey Mousse, Weeks of Pregnancy, Blessed from above
Hope-Kolcata
Flutterby

read more

Joy

Here it is. The moment of Jeff's return. I will never forget the intense joy of this moment. I have had no other experience to compare it to. It is a culturally common experience in my church, but for each individual and family, it is once in a lifetime. This is my connection to all mothers who have the faith to allow their children to go away, either physically or emotionally, in order to do something important, then welcome them back home. The coming home is worth the temporary separation.

read more