This week Aunt S shared a project she’s working on for some nieces and nephews called “C is for Cousin.” I am working on a poem but I’m not sure it’s for public consumption—so here are some ABC’s from Maine:

Ark, Noah. i.e., a LOT of rain beforehand which led to not much beach

Bald eagle sighting

Crack! and lobster debris goes flying

Drips of water off the canoe oars that make a string of concentric circles as we glide along

Extending the trip by one day… we were going to leave tomorrow and drive back in two days, now we’re doing one marathon Saturday so we don’t have to leave just yet

Flowered hat, worn by M, that provided a place for a friendly dragonfly to land

Getting to read two books: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (engaging fiction, fascinating narrator) and Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood (fun, angsty young adult fare)

Hushed mornings with M and C before anyone is awake—woodpeckers, hummingbirds and scurrying chipmunks, and a breeze that’s cool enough to wake you up but warm enough for you not to resent it (can you tell I’m not a morning person?)

Internet: the cottage has DSL for the first time and at one point we had five laptops going

Jockey Cap, aka Nearby Tall Hill, which we climbed up with C on foot and M in the backpack—panoramic view of the surrounding mountains

Killing mosquitoes by the dozens, having to coat oneself in bug goop before doing anything outdoors. I’m pretty sure C’s lasting memory of this trip will be us telling her to “Run to the car! Run! Run!” whenever we leave the house.

Low-budget fireworks: glow-sticks, one buck apiece, courtesy of Gramps. We made necklaces and eyeglasses, spun them around on our fingers, braided them together. C wore hers as a halo during the climbing of Jockey Cap, and has added the glow-stick to her inventory of Things She Must Have With Her in Bed, along with her two loveys, her kitty, Ellie Susan the doll, a stuffed moose, and her cup of water.

Midnight meltdowns by the divine miss m, and nowhere to take her where she wouldn’t disturb others

Nanas, mashed in a bowl, devoured by M

Oatmeal, also scarfed down by M

Pails of sand turned upside down on the beach. They’re still there as far as I know

Quiet evenings in the cottage’s cozy living room, reading, playing cards, and a new activity, synchronized Internet surfing (see I)

Rocking on the porch

Sitting in rocking chairs on the porch (I know I already said that, but we sat A LOT)

Tevas that make my feet feel quick and light

Unwinding, unwinding, unwinding

Visits from neighbors, some of whom have had cottages here for decades, including a former member of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (her jersey hangs in the baseball hall of fame) and a retired English teacher who’s just finished writing a childhood biography of Katherine Lee Bates (the author of “America the Beautiful”)

Wroo! Wroo! Molly’s greeting when we visited with Songbird

eXtreme desserts: brownies with ice cream, lemon meringue pie, blueberry pie, etc.

Yawning, napping, dozing, going to bed early, sleeping “late”

Zipping across the lake in a tiny motorboat