Once again, we are in our special place that we call our second home-- the camp in Maine where my wife works and my sons have spent their formative summer years. From the moment we pulled away from our driveway in Texas, I had begun to suspect that this might be a very special and magical summer for us... more so than most.
The last two weeks prior to departure were a dizzying rush of the kind of curveballs life normally throws you a couple of times a year: we had to rush to get a newer vehicle when our old van proved once and for all it was not dependable enough for an 5000-mile summer romp; 6 days later I found out I was losing my job when I return in September due to massive layoffs at my company; and 3 days before departure, our new van was damaged when a delivery truck in a grocery store parking lot (which the driver did not put in park/gear) rolled across the lot and slammed into the front of our empty, parked, pristine new minivan.
You can't make this stuff up.
After the layoff notice, my wife and I talked and decided we would not change our summer plans. In this day and age, there is no reason I shouldn't be able to look for a job effectively from a distance. The new van was fine to drive (just looked like it had been in a bar fight), so we figured "damn the torpedoes... full speed ahead."
So we are here. I am looking at a summer of grueling job searches, planning and saving for the mini-vacation we have to take at the end of camp because we have to do something for 8 days before taking Matthew to Michigan to get him settled at Hillsdale college... and I also realized that I inadvertently signed up for a "mini-mester" for my summer college course, which means I will be taking a full course in Philosophy 1301 in one month. (Hey, this is what happens when an Ancient Crab tries to go back to college... I haven't registered for courses since Guns 'n Roses was at the peak of their popularity.)
Take all of that, and try to throw in the normal flurry of activities we do to take full advantage of this wonderful summer experience... and it's going to be a full, rich ride!
So, as I pondered all of these things, and the changes that next year might bring in our lives with graduating boys and new jobs... I just had a feeling that this summer was going to be a particularly special one.
And I was right. Already.
Exhibit one: my wife Allison has been wanting to see a moose up here FOR YEARS. She has worked up here at least 9 years, and had yet to see one. It became a running joke in our family that she was "moose-cursed." Now granted, it is getting harder to see them around these parts... they seem to be much more populous further north in Maine, and they have been hit hard by a disease that is decimating their numbers... but still... she has been so disappointed.
And this year it finally happened. On the second day here.
As the camp driver, she is default Uber choice for shuttling kids or adults all over Yankee land. And on Saturday, she was driving north to pickup up two counselors who had been getting their archery certifications. So there were witnesses... and one of them was my son, Logan. The moose had been in the road, but moved off to the shoulder. They were able to snap some pics which were, to be honest, horrible in quality due to the light and the fact they could not stop the vehicle at the time. (In fact, I've seen better photos of Bigfoot!) But there it was... a moose. It didn't have antlers, which isn't surprising at this time of the year, or it could have been female.
But the moose had been sighted. After all this time. My wife came home so happy and ebullient. A moose!
Like I said... magical. I talk a lot about the magic of this place. I really do think this year is going to be a very special one--God is on his throne and is in control, and there is magic in Maine.
Bring it, summer.
The last two weeks prior to departure were a dizzying rush of the kind of curveballs life normally throws you a couple of times a year: we had to rush to get a newer vehicle when our old van proved once and for all it was not dependable enough for an 5000-mile summer romp; 6 days later I found out I was losing my job when I return in September due to massive layoffs at my company; and 3 days before departure, our new van was damaged when a delivery truck in a grocery store parking lot (which the driver did not put in park/gear) rolled across the lot and slammed into the front of our empty, parked, pristine new minivan.
You can't make this stuff up.
After the layoff notice, my wife and I talked and decided we would not change our summer plans. In this day and age, there is no reason I shouldn't be able to look for a job effectively from a distance. The new van was fine to drive (just looked like it had been in a bar fight), so we figured "damn the torpedoes... full speed ahead."
So we are here. I am looking at a summer of grueling job searches, planning and saving for the mini-vacation we have to take at the end of camp because we have to do something for 8 days before taking Matthew to Michigan to get him settled at Hillsdale college... and I also realized that I inadvertently signed up for a "mini-mester" for my summer college course, which means I will be taking a full course in Philosophy 1301 in one month. (Hey, this is what happens when an Ancient Crab tries to go back to college... I haven't registered for courses since Guns 'n Roses was at the peak of their popularity.)
Take all of that, and try to throw in the normal flurry of activities we do to take full advantage of this wonderful summer experience... and it's going to be a full, rich ride!
So, as I pondered all of these things, and the changes that next year might bring in our lives with graduating boys and new jobs... I just had a feeling that this summer was going to be a particularly special one.
And I was right. Already.
Exhibit one: my wife Allison has been wanting to see a moose up here FOR YEARS. She has worked up here at least 9 years, and had yet to see one. It became a running joke in our family that she was "moose-cursed." Now granted, it is getting harder to see them around these parts... they seem to be much more populous further north in Maine, and they have been hit hard by a disease that is decimating their numbers... but still... she has been so disappointed.
And this year it finally happened. On the second day here.
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| Photo courtesy Logan Welch |
But the moose had been sighted. After all this time. My wife came home so happy and ebullient. A moose!
Like I said... magical. I talk a lot about the magic of this place. I really do think this year is going to be a very special one--God is on his throne and is in control, and there is magic in Maine.
Bring it, summer.
