Winter and the 4th of July

Late last week the Whaler went in the water and the kids took a preliminary spin around the harbor. All members past and present of our crew have loved the Whaler. It goes fast, it's close to the water, and it generally means we're going somewhere fun - like swimming!

For the past 12 years we have split our time between our house in Maine and the boat. Typically we spend 9 months on the boat and 3 months in Maine. And of course the 3 months in Maine are in the summer.

We love Maine summers. They are pleasant warm days and cool nights. Well, usually they are. It seems like this summer we are being punished for not having endured this past winter - even the natives are saying it was one of the worst winters they could remember.

So far it has been one long tease. We get one beautiful day followed by cold, wind, and rain. While we were able to get the Whaler in, it has been just too cold to take the kids across to Indian Bar for a swim. The problem isn't Dylan and Dee Dee swimming in cold water - Labs don't care about that. It's that we have to wade ashore and then come back with soaking wet dogs, usually draped across my lap. That just seemed too cold for us to endure. We keep watching the forecast and it looks promising later in the week.

In the meantime, Dylan and Dee Dee are trying out a variety of harnesses that we will be testing in a live swim to determine what will be their next safety harness. If you are new to Dylan and Dee Dee's blog you may not be aware of Dee Dee's "adventure" this past winter. You can read about it here.

There's a saying up here that Maine has two seasons, winter and the 4th of July. We're hoping the 4th will come through...

Rainy Day

The crew has been in Maine for two weeks now and still the Whaler sits in the driveway. Their dad has it all ready to go in but the weather just refuses to cooperate. It's been cold and windy most days. Not a good start to the summer...

Today is pouring rain. Dylan and Dee Dee were considering a mutiny as they continue to wait for their promised swim at Indian Bar. But they decided to use the day for a good rainy day snooze instead. Lest you think the crew is loafing, Dee Dee did get up and spin around.

Mid-week is looking promising. We have all our fingers and paws crossed!

Settling In

It will be a week tomorrow that we returned to our land-based house in Maine. Any time we make the transition back to land it takes some time to get settled in. There is so much that is different here. Having a car at the ready, not really caring about the weather... But the biggest change is the space. There's so much space.

Dylan and Dee Dee have to rediscover all of the special spots. Possibly their favorite is the windows in the sunroom. It's a great place to wait for Mom or Dad to return from a walk to the post office or out to the trash can. But even more importantly it is the perfect location to stage their stakeouts for their most infamous of enemies - squirrels! So far the sightings have been meager but the crew is not deterred.

Dee Dee's biggest obstacle was the dreaded spiral staircase. Crew members all the way back to Tucker have had to learn to navigate this fearsome monstrosity. We've always considered it a rite of passage.

While she mastered them last summer, this is only the third time she has been at the house - and that's counting the 2 night stay when we picked her up as a puppy. So while we didn't exactly start from scratch, she still had to work up her nerve.

That meant 2 days of running up the front steps, through the house to the back, down the spiral stairs - for whatever reason down isn't so scary - where she would stand at the bottom and bark. Then... repeat, about 50 times a day. Eventually she saw Dylan ascend enough times to decide that maybe they where safe after all.

After nearly 7 days the kids are settling in to a new routine: walk around the block at 7 am, trip down to the town dock after lunch, romp in the back yard before supper, and cuddling with Mom and Dad in the evening. All that's left is to get the Whaler in the water this weekend so we can add trips to Indian Bar for a swim.

Now that's one hard working crew whether on land or at sea.

Birthday Boy!

 

Today our sweet boy turned 8. Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday Dylan was a puppy winning first place in an online photo contest.

Unfortunately, he spent his special day in the backseat as we zoom back to Maine. He still got a special birthday treat to enjoy - but then so did Dee Dee, so unfair...  Fortunately, our crew has always been terrific in the car.

His day ended with a stay in a La Quinta. Even if he did have to share a bed with Dee Dee. And tomorrow morning? Waffles from La Quinta's Bright Side Breakfast. Nothing is too good for our boy!

Happy Birthday you handsome guy! We love you!