Saturday, October 7, 2017
The Spirit Within: Patrick Dempsey Challenge
The Spirit Within: Patrick Dempsey Challenge: Today I had the privilege to attend the Patrick Dempsey Challenge. It was my first one ever and I was very impressed with the whole event. I...
Patrick Dempsey Challenge
Today I had the privilege to attend the Patrick Dempsey Challenge. It was my first one ever and I was very impressed with the whole event. I had friends in the 5 and 10 K part of it, Donna Arsenault, who is an avid runner, Toddy Kilbreth, Peter's 84 year aunt who was a first time participant, Kristopher one of my nanny children's son who had participated for his second year in memory of his grandmother. So obviously this event had special meaning for me.
After months of planning this event and all the stress that goes with such events, it went off with out a hitch. The Maine weather was perfect, sunny and bright blue skies, and Maine dressed in her prettiest of autumn colors. As the runners and walkers began their trek you could feel their enthusiasm as they passed the stage area with Dempsey cheering them on.
As I walked my beagle, Shanti around in her doggie stroller (she does not play nice with other dogs so her stroller is a blessing) I saw hundreds of people from all walks of life working together for one cause, that cause being to find a cure for cancer, all cancers, not just one, and for continuous support for families who have been challenged with cancer. Then there were those of us who had donated to the cause watching the teams and cheering them on.
The venue area was great also, snappy music playing so early in the morning even found this ole lady tapping her toes as the runners came across the finish line, all in the fight for cancer. Free breakfast was offered to the runners and walkers by a local super market which I thought was extremely kind, hopefully they had enough eggs for all those omelets they made for the hundreds who went in to eat after an icy cold drink of water offered my a local water company.
Soon it was time for Peter and I to head out for some breakfast, as we walked back to our truck I couldn't help but think how hundreds of people had come together, some from as far away as Texas to participate in the wonderful event. Through their endless fund raisers all year I am sure, they raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Patrick Dempsey Cancer Center in Lewiston, Maine. This center offers counseling for adults and children, nutrition and cooking, message and Tai Chi, help with wills, art classes, free make up classes, grief support groups, classes on knitting, crocheting, quilting, everything and anything that a family needs when cancer has struck their families.
It was a wonderful day for everyone at the Dempsey Challenge today. It showed that there is still good in all of us.
After months of planning this event and all the stress that goes with such events, it went off with out a hitch. The Maine weather was perfect, sunny and bright blue skies, and Maine dressed in her prettiest of autumn colors. As the runners and walkers began their trek you could feel their enthusiasm as they passed the stage area with Dempsey cheering them on.
As I walked my beagle, Shanti around in her doggie stroller (she does not play nice with other dogs so her stroller is a blessing) I saw hundreds of people from all walks of life working together for one cause, that cause being to find a cure for cancer, all cancers, not just one, and for continuous support for families who have been challenged with cancer. Then there were those of us who had donated to the cause watching the teams and cheering them on.
The venue area was great also, snappy music playing so early in the morning even found this ole lady tapping her toes as the runners came across the finish line, all in the fight for cancer. Free breakfast was offered to the runners and walkers by a local super market which I thought was extremely kind, hopefully they had enough eggs for all those omelets they made for the hundreds who went in to eat after an icy cold drink of water offered my a local water company.
Soon it was time for Peter and I to head out for some breakfast, as we walked back to our truck I couldn't help but think how hundreds of people had come together, some from as far away as Texas to participate in the wonderful event. Through their endless fund raisers all year I am sure, they raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Patrick Dempsey Cancer Center in Lewiston, Maine. This center offers counseling for adults and children, nutrition and cooking, message and Tai Chi, help with wills, art classes, free make up classes, grief support groups, classes on knitting, crocheting, quilting, everything and anything that a family needs when cancer has struck their families.
It was a wonderful day for everyone at the Dempsey Challenge today. It showed that there is still good in all of us.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
When the spirit moves!!!
It has been seven months since Peter and I decided to become full time RV'ers! Several of my friends have asked "how did you dare do this full time?" Easy, I had had enough with struggling to survive in Harmony, Maine, summers consisted of buying wood and stacking it near enough to the cabin so I did not have to shovel a path to keep my cabin warm. I had had enough of putting insulation on windows and covering them with wool blankets to keep warm. I was tired of being alone and having to hear, "you live too far away for us to come visit." Enough is enough.
Pete and I did a lot of looking at various types of campers, Class A was way more than we wanted and of course you needed a small vehicle to tow behind so you could go places and not have to uproot the Noah's arc! We looked at 5th wheels both new and used, some needed so much work and others smelled of cigarette smoke, and there was no warrantee on them which scared these rookie camper couple to death. As we walked around the lot of Whited Ford in Auburn Maine there she sat, a left over, never used, great price, and big enough for us and our dog Shanti! We bought it!! And we love it, it is just big enough for us.
NOW we needed a vehicle to haul it, I had an Chevy HHR, certainly that would not work, Pete had an old beat up truck that would need a new motor. So we were told that a Chevy Suburban would do the trick, (remember we are rookies) so we headed on over to Donavan's Used cars where I have purchased several of my cars and bought the Suburban. Life was going to be awesome. I couldn't help think about the song Roger Miller sang, "Trailer for sale for rent." and sing it often to be honest, even though I love this life style of travel.
Our first destination was Flintlock Family Campground in Boone, NC located in the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, made famous by Daniel Boone. Flintlock sits in a natural "holler" with a babbling brook running through the campground. It is quaint and peaceful and rustic..just the way we wanted our life to be.
Our journey to Boone went without a hitch, but we had a spirit with us to keep us safe. We quickly learned the Suburban was not the vehicle to haul a 35 foot travel trailer that we were told it would do. Oh it made the trip but crossing the Shenandoah Valley with it's many hills and valleys proved to us that we had made a mistake, and when I heard a trucker say over the CB "those guys from Maine ain't gonna make it with that Suburban" I knew we had an angel riding in the back seat, because we made our destination without incident.
On the way we knew we needed a bigger vehicle, so we made a phone call to my son-in-law Jeff and said, "be lookin' for a truck!" He was on it!!! Shortly after our arrival we found a 2012, 250, super duty, diesel, originally owned by someone very wealthy for it had all the bells and whistles one could ask for and it only had 23,000 miles!! Score!!!
Life is good on the road! Do I recommend it for everyone? No! Only if you are retired and sick and tired of being a slave to snow in Maine!!
Stay tuned for of our journey.
Pete and I did a lot of looking at various types of campers, Class A was way more than we wanted and of course you needed a small vehicle to tow behind so you could go places and not have to uproot the Noah's arc! We looked at 5th wheels both new and used, some needed so much work and others smelled of cigarette smoke, and there was no warrantee on them which scared these rookie camper couple to death. As we walked around the lot of Whited Ford in Auburn Maine there she sat, a left over, never used, great price, and big enough for us and our dog Shanti! We bought it!! And we love it, it is just big enough for us.
NOW we needed a vehicle to haul it, I had an Chevy HHR, certainly that would not work, Pete had an old beat up truck that would need a new motor. So we were told that a Chevy Suburban would do the trick, (remember we are rookies) so we headed on over to Donavan's Used cars where I have purchased several of my cars and bought the Suburban. Life was going to be awesome. I couldn't help think about the song Roger Miller sang, "Trailer for sale for rent." and sing it often to be honest, even though I love this life style of travel.
Our first destination was Flintlock Family Campground in Boone, NC located in the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, made famous by Daniel Boone. Flintlock sits in a natural "holler" with a babbling brook running through the campground. It is quaint and peaceful and rustic..just the way we wanted our life to be.
Our journey to Boone went without a hitch, but we had a spirit with us to keep us safe. We quickly learned the Suburban was not the vehicle to haul a 35 foot travel trailer that we were told it would do. Oh it made the trip but crossing the Shenandoah Valley with it's many hills and valleys proved to us that we had made a mistake, and when I heard a trucker say over the CB "those guys from Maine ain't gonna make it with that Suburban" I knew we had an angel riding in the back seat, because we made our destination without incident.
On the way we knew we needed a bigger vehicle, so we made a phone call to my son-in-law Jeff and said, "be lookin' for a truck!" He was on it!!! Shortly after our arrival we found a 2012, 250, super duty, diesel, originally owned by someone very wealthy for it had all the bells and whistles one could ask for and it only had 23,000 miles!! Score!!!
Life is good on the road! Do I recommend it for everyone? No! Only if you are retired and sick and tired of being a slave to snow in Maine!!
Stay tuned for of our journey.
Saturday, February 11, 2017
And so "life goes on"
I love this quote.."life goes on" It states the obvious, until it ends "life goes on."
This blog has been quite lately, not that I haven't thought about it, I just did not know what to write about I guess, but today after talking with my daughter Rebecca, I realized that "life goes on" after a sudden death of a loved one, loss of a job and security, loss of a home and all it's comforts, loss of a friendship, any loss is most difficult to deal with, but "life goes on!"
2016 held lots of grief milestones that I had to work through, the biggest was selling my home where my life with my late husband held so many, many wonderful memories. I knew memories were stored within my soul and that I could take them out whenever I needed too. Living alone in the Maine woods in a sweet cabin that I so loved and cherished in every way, every piece of wood upon it's walls, every brick on the hearth for the wood stove, the crooked stone chimney on the side of cabin had been hand built by my husband it was still time to let it go and go on in my life.
I could no longer infringe on my Harmony friends to make sure I was ok, to plow the driveway when it needed it, to come fix my lawn mower when I got my sweat shirt tangled up in the blades, to get a phone call every single morning from a friend who has promised my children back in 2013 that she would keep any eye on me and let them know if something was not quite right. I was no longer up to hauling wood through snow and blowing winds to keep the house warm, and I just could no longer handle the loneliness.
I cleaned out the house giving most things away, things I could not use in my life style of being a full time RV'er. My sister, Vicki, took some of my belongings and made her place more comfortable and that in itself offers me comfort. Some things were left behind in a bad relationship with a man who was a narcissist and needed a woman in his life for no reason at all, except to clean house, do laundry, take care of his dog, and do yard work. It was just easier than bringing it to Pete's place for a yard sale or Salvation Army. As Bill often said after my divorce of my first marriage, "it is just stuff!"
The house went on sale just prior to Pete and I leaving for Boone NC, our first road trip as full time RV'ers, along the route my agent called and said, the house is sold!! WHAT? In Harmony in 7 days? My body shook, it was happening, anxiety set in, my mind raced, it was happening, I was in the final stages of letting go of my life with William Witt.
Life goes on, yes it does, you don't forget yesterday, it keeps you focused on how short life truly is, and that the living deserve to live. And so my life goes on without Bill and our "things" and I have a new life, one of traveling with a man who's only purpose in life is to make me happy! And believe me, I don't take that lightly! He is a good man who cares for my children and grandchildren and that is so very important. My life goes on...and I am ready!!
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