Tuesday April 15-Thursday April 17th Hometown Brewer with family

We said goodbye to Sonny's Aunt Miriam on Tuesday morning and drove to Solon, Maine to see a long time friend of my mother's.  I hadn't heard from her at Christmas so I wanted to check in. Carolyn Waugh and my mother were student teacher supervisors at the University of Maine at Presque Isle 1950-51.  My mother got married in 1951 while Carolyn went off to teach in the DC area for the rest of her extensive career. She returned home to Maine every summer to her family's farm in Solon. I remember visiting there when I was little, camping in the yard and riding the cows. Carolyn is now nearly 99 years old and quite capable. She knits mittens for the local school, is currently sorting her Smithsonian magazines and could remember my old address from when I was teaching in Maine in the 70s!  She had 11 siblings and there are 2 remaining. Carolyn graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington, my alma mater, in 1933, 81 years ago. Remarkable woman.

After our visit, we continued on to my sister's in Brewer to get my brother's house keys since we were staying there a few days. In the evening, we had dinner at "Kobe", an Asian restaurant in Bangor, with my sister, brother in law and my niece, Kimberly Lynn who is a Senior at Husson University. We had fun watching the chef prepare our meal on the heated table. There was enough for another meal all around.

Snow had fallen during the night but melted quickly in the morning so the roads were clear. Our family piled into the car for a trip to Belfast on the coast for Wasa's hotdogs and shopping at Reny's, a Maine landmark. We headed back home via Bucksport, my mother's hometown. Later in the afternoon, Kim and I had a chance to shop at Marden's, another Maine landmark.   Donna and Kim made corn chowder for dinner.  I was feeling cold symptoms coming on so we went to bed early.  On Thursday afternoon, we drove back, very bumpy, frost heave roads to find Starbucks and run a few errands.  Donna made huge popovers for dinner.  Afterwards, the evening was pleasant so we took a walk in the City Forest and then we stopped by a yogurt spot for dessert. It was short visit but we had spent a week together in Florida earlier in the month.

The leaf still hanging on

Leaving Aunt Miriam's house driving down Smith Road.

Many of Maine roads are bumpy especially where culverts have
settled after the frost leaves.  Smith Road had many of these.

I was trying to capture the  orange "Bump" sign on the telephone pole
that was warning drivers to prepare for a jolt.

A new shed at Carolyn's farm in Solon

The crocus are up at my brother's house though they
were covered in snow the next day.

My brother's deck on a snowy morning.

Belfast, Maine
Seacoast town

Billy knew this boat's owner.

Sail boats in dry dock.  This one had a very long keel.

New sling for lifting boats into dry dock. The smaller
one to the right, is the older one.

Tug boat fleet

Chef making stir fry with steak, shrimp and swordfish

Onion volcano steaming

Onion volcano on fire

Niece Kim and Sister Donna at City Forest

One of my father's favorite restaurants.

My hometown

Popover dinner table

They popped just about out of the pan!

A group selfie

We walked briskly along to keep warm.

Max, the Maine Coon Cat, wishes there was something
more in his dish to eat.  

The Penobscot River is over its banks near Old Tonw

The water is very high along the banks.