Scary

Both kids chose a camp to participate in during the same week this summer.  The plan was for me to work a few days and have a little "Katy Time" while they did something they were passionate about.

Cally chose to do a musical theater camp at the Flynn Theater.  The week was to be spent preparing for a Frozen Pilot.  While a little nervous to be there the first day, she loved it immediately.  She got the role as young Anna and she felt challenged by learning her lines, getting off script, singing, and learning some dance moves.

Hazen choose to do a "real" rock climbing camp.  He wanted to be outside, not inside.  Metrorock had a great camp, but it was for kids ages 8-14.  I was able to convince the manager of the club to let him in because he was a little over 7 and a half.   I was pretty sure Hazen would be great as long as he had positive older role models.  He had a great time.  He climbed, he caved, he did via ferrata, hiked, and swam.  And he slept well when he got home.  

Meanwhile, my "Katy Time" was thrown a curveball.  The previous week, I'd gotten a last minute appointment for a mammogram.  It had been over a year and a half and I'd recently gotten the news that another good friend from high school was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Upon leaving my appointment, the nurse said they'd call within 5 days if they had any concerns, otherwise they'd send me a letter.  It having been six days since the appointment, I assumed I was clear, but I was wrong. I got the call in the middle of the morning on Monday that there were a few spots of concern on my image. 

This news hit me like a ton of bricks.  I had had a call back after my first mammogram, so I knew that this was usually just a precautionary measure, but it still rattled me.  It took me a half hour to get in touch with the mammography scheduling nurse.  She said she could get me in for a follow up imaging on Tuesday, but couldn't get the secondary ultrasound on the same day.  I'd need to come in on Wednesday, too.  Otherwise, she had both on the the same day the following week.  I grabbed the two separate appointments because I needed to get to the bottom of this. 

I was on the phone with John in tears.  He, of course, grounded me and reminded me that I'd be just fine, told me he'd go to all appointments, and offered to come home and give me a hug. 

Then I jumped on my bike and rode and cried.  I wasn't ready to be done being a mom.  I wasn't done raising my kids.  I wasn't done on this planet.  I cried for Melinda, my high school friend who didn't get to see her kids grow up, I cried for everyone I know who has had cancer, I cried for mortality.  I cried because I really, really like my life right now.

My phone rang half way into my ride.  It was my dad.  I normally don't pick up the phone when I'm riding, but I needed this.  John had called him to tell him what had happened.  The thoughtfulness of these two amazing men in my life made me cry harder.  I am so lucky to have the most sensitive and caring husband and father.  Neither of them made me feel crazy for worrying, but they also made me feel like I was going to be just fine.  

I had plans to meet Claire for lunch and felt like I needed that more than ever.  Of course, John had texted her to tell her about my scare.  She, too, was another amazing pillar of support that I so needed.  It reminded me of how fortunate I am to have so many great friends.  

When I picked up the kids, I suddenly felt less bothered by the little things they were doing.  I thought twice before scolding them about not picking up after themselves.  I gave them bigger hugs. 

John and I made a date out of my first appointment.  We met for lunch and then walked over to the hospital.  It turns out men aren't allowed beyond the outside waiting room at the Breast Center.   The way it works is the nurse takes you back for a second scan, has you wait in an interior waiting room (women only), and then they bring you into a living room style conference room. 

The nurse said the radiologist felt better about this scan, but that I still needed to come back for an ultrasound the next day.  I felt so much better, but still needed to get the second test behind me. 

Everything was fine after Wednesdays appointment and they said I didn't need to come back for a year.  I felt such a sense of relief.  I have more time to raise my kids, make the best of each day, and work towards my goal of making the world a little bit better (still not exactly sure how). 

So, I didn't get the productive week of working and riding bikes that I had hoped for, but I got a heavy dose of reality which put a lot of things in perspective.  I like to think I live for the moment and make the best of most days, but this reminded me to Carpe Diem just a little bit more.  

Meanwhile, Back in Vermont

It's great to be home!  We so missed our four legged friends, especially, Zephy.  Being home means spending some quality time with her.  But it also means, a full week of "Mom Camp".  It happened to be Hazey's half birthday on Monday, so we biked the causeway with Lindsay, Maggie, and Ollie.  It was a hot day and perfect to just jump in the lake to cool off.

Per Hazey's request, we invited Scott, Cynthia, Tom and Cara over for a barbeque and ate homemade Maine Blueberry Pie.  This was all capped off with a fun sleepover with Ollie. 

I know, I know, most people don't make a big deal about half birthdays....... but these kids are winter babies and I have so much more time to bake and play in the summer.  So, I make a big deal about these milestones. 

I'd been hearing a lot about the movie RBG-- a documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsberg.  Several folks told me Cally would love it. So, we went on a girls date with Auntie Cara.  It was such an inspiring story and Cally was thoroughly engaged.  It made me so proud to bring her on such a mature date.  She continues to wow me with her curiosity and concern for others.  I love this gal!

Having been on Mom duty a lot this summer, I managed to make time for me to do get back on my mountain bike and go on some great rides, thanks to Annika Mahoney (our new favorite babysitter).

Mom week also means sleeping in!  This guy wasn't up before 9am any day this week!

It's great to have another mom who is always up for an adventure with her kids.  Lindsay and her kids also joined us at the Smugglers Notch caves and a hike to Sterling Pond....... where we saw a Moose!

caving!

Moose!

Found our friend's sticker "Better Baked in Vermont" on the sterling chair!

 These kids have so much fun together!

Strong Hikers!

 We also made it to a Lake Monster's baseball game.  As a reward for doing the ABCD brain study that Cal is a part of, she "earned" two free tickets.  I forgot how long and slow baseball is!  Fortunately, there was some fun people watching and between inning entertainment.

Friday was Festival of Fools in Burlington.  We stumbled upon it last year and now it is a favorite part of our summer.

We wrapped up the work week with a family date to the "Spot on the Dock"

We had made plans to hike Mt. Mansfield with the Pearce/Montgomery family, but found ourselves sleeping until 9:30 on Saturday morning and thought we missed the boat.  When I told the kids it wasn't going to work out, they were so disappointed.  Fortunately, our friends were willing to delay a bit so we were able to join them.

 We made it down from the exposed ridge, just before a huge, unexpected thunderstorm began.

 And finally, we wrapped up the week with a visit to High Meadow to see the folks at "Farm Party".  The kids loved playing with all the older buddies they have met over the years.

Bates Burning Man 2018

John's Bates' buddies are so good about getting together with their families every summer.  We have missed a few gatherings over the years, but most years this becomes one of our favorite weekends of the summer.  It has been really fun to see all the kids grow up and make connections with each other. 

We started our weekend with a lunch in Portland with Alex and Izzy.  It was the perfect way to get our land legs back and experience a bit of the Portland vibe.

This years event was hosted by Joc and Kelly at Whitton Pond in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  It's a lovely home that Joc's parents began building in the 70's. Ander (age 13) and Avery (age 15) were also amazing hosts-- especially to our kids.

As with most Bates Burning Man weekends, we try to do some projects.  This year we stacked wood in as the Norwegians do and did some trimming/clipping before hitting the pond.

Meals were prepared, games were played, and ice cream was churned:

Some things remain the same every year, but friendships evolve and grow!

This year, Cally, Ander and Kelly came up with some prompts so that we could have our own "Bates BUrning Man Moth Story Hour".  We gave people a bunch of prompts to choose from......  The stories were wonderful and it was so fun to learn more about these old friends.

This multi-generational event is such a joy!  It seems to all come together so seamlessly with meal prep, clean up, and flow, but I know that it takes a lot of behind the scene work from the hosts (having been one six years ago).  I'm so glad that these folks still make the effort to bring everyone together.  The memories are priceless.

Cape Breton or Bust!

Cape Breton came on to my radar...... I decided back in the winter that this is where we needed to go on our next adventure.  I'm not really sure how it popped up, but it made sense for us to go someplace new and didn't require big travel expenses.  And when this trip happened to work out in conjunction with my Middlebury Maine trip, it seemed like destiny.

So, after meeting up in Acadia (waiting an extra day for the passports to arrive), we were off.  We made no reservations, but had a car full of camping equipment and eager attitudes.  This fly by the seat of your pants way to travel isn't really within my comfort zone.  I usually like to know that we'll have a place to stay and like to have a plan.  John assured me that we'd be just fine. So we set off

It's a 10 hour drive from Acadia to Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  We didn't leave our campground until almost 3pm and then stopped in Ellsworth for groceries and supplies.  We drove about 5 hours to Moncton, New Brunswick and then set out for the park first thing in the am.

We'd heard that Corny Brook was an amazing camp ground with few facilities, but first come, first serve.  It was Thursday, so I wanted to be sure to get there.  We did stop for lunch at the Celtic Music Interpretive Center where there is access to an amazing bike trail (the Ceilidh trail) and it was a perfect adventure to break up the drive. 

We arrived just in time to get a site at Corny Brook.  It was even more amazing than I imagined...... on a bluff, looking due west, with a stoney beach and a river to dip in.  

Corny Brook-- the river

Pebble Beach-- not sure if the river was colder?

We had a swim and cocktails, followed by dinner on the beach, and a gorgeous sunset.

 

 

Friday, we headed straight to the Skyline Trail-- a gorgeous 5 mile hike along the coast.  We were thrilled by the views and a close encounter with a real, live moose!

After our hike, we headed to Margaree Harbor to explore the town that John visited as a kid.  There was a fun beach and Hazey and I did some extreme adventuring. 

That evening was spent much like the first....... cocktails, swimming, dinner on the beach, sunset, fireworks. 

Saturday was a bit overcast, but we headed out on a 4 mile hike to a waterfall.  Upon our return, we were told the winds might hit 40 mph, so a ranger recommended we move our tent to a more sheltered area.  We then took off to do a bike ride on the Salmon Pool trail and get a little laundry done (we had signed up for a whale watching zodiac ride, but the winds were too crazy and that was cancelled).

 

This time, when we returned to our campsite, we were told the campground was closing and we had to evacuate..... So we packed everything up and moved to "overflow" camping closer to the Cheticamp campground.  We were right under a cool band of cliffs and next to a river, so we couldn't complain. And we still went to Corny Brook beach to see the sunset, high winds and all.  

We decided to head to Meat Cove the next day, but not before we did some exploring along the Cabot Trail.  The kids had picked up a guide that encouraged them to visit 7-10 spots and get stamps at each place, ultimately collecting a "prize" at the end.  It was really cool and educational.  This meant stopping at a bog, a 350 year old maple, and other cool spots. 

By the time we got to the east coast of the island..... it was sunny and these polar bears were ready for a swim!

And Meat Cove did not disappoint!  It was a gorgeous afternoon and there was a great beach to explore.

Here is a view from our campsite:

It was honking windy that night and threatening to rain, but we had to do the recommended hike:

Since the rain was expected to stay, we ate lunch at the Meat Cove chowder house and set off to the east side of the park (Meat Cove isn't technically in the park).  We had heard that camping at Ingunish was fun (close to a beach and lake). But first we had some more stamps to get at various spots:

Jack Pine Forest and Coast Trail:

Bird Watching at Green Cove:

Reward time (for collecting stamps at various sites on the Cabot Trail)

A quick visit to the beach before Explorer's Club:

The park naturalist puts on a program most nights at 7pm:

Listening to music at the Keltic Lodge (because the fancy stove we brought decided to DIE)

So excited to see whales in a zodiac (didn't bring a camera, but we saw tons of dolphins and seals):

Chilling out at our campsite in Ingunish:

S'more contest

More Natural Park fun:

Biking out to the "gold mine":

After six nights in the park, we decided to head begin our voyage back to the US.  After much deliberation, we decided to take the ferry from Yarmouth, NS to Portland, ME.  It's a five and a half hour ride, but they have movies and live music and we were all ready for a break from the car.  The good news, is that we could check out Halifax.  We found a great campground 20 minutes from the city and were excited for good food, coffee and craft beer!

Eating dinner at the Wooden Monkey:

Exploring the boardwalk the following day:

Checking out Peggy's Cove on a stormy day:

Checking out Lunenburg:

Heading home on the ferry-- aka the vomitorium.  It seemed too good to be true, but none of us got sick.  Phew!

Sunshine before arrival in Portland:

What a trip!  I had a sense Cape Breton would be interesting, but it far exceeded any expectations.  It was the perfect place for us.  I was so proud of our family.  We did so much, saw so much, had so much fun and shared so much love.  Just making memories and trying to enjoy it while we do it.