Category Archives: Uncategorized

A lakes region road trip.

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When the thermometer is reading temperatures this high?

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You ditch yard work and take a road trip west.

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To the lakes region, over the Naples causeway.

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Through Bridgton…

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Past ski slopes that look a little strange in the summer.

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To a premier pub in Lovell, Maine.

Any similarities between my husband and the pub sign mascot are purely coincidental.

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Ebenezer’s is famous for its extensive beer menu and hand blown glass taps.

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It also has a buzzard on the bar.

It’s hard to top that.

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They’ve won multiple awards and though they’re small and off the beaten path… those in the know, know.

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Belgians.

A white for the husband, a geuze boon for moi.

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I love their vintage signs.

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And their coconut shrimp with sweet Thai chili sauce.

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Some signs are prophetic.

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Good beer, beautiful lakes.

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A perfect summer day.

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Murals. Yea or nay…?

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You either love them or hate them. There’s rarely any in between.

I happen to love them, even if I don’t always understand them.

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This mural is in the old downtown area of our state capitol, Augusta. It’s undergoing a rejuvenation and this certainly brightens things up.

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The Kennebec River flows through the city and the Kennebec is full of giant sturgeon, so I understand the fish.

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The prehistoric cyborg dinosaurs?

Not so much…

🤣

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Off it comes.

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Now that the decking has been laid, it was time to strip the vinyl siding.

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This isn’t as easy as it sounds when the people who put it on decades ago used nails as long as your arm.

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Sometimes finesse is required…

Sometimes brute force.

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After the siding was removed?

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The soffit had to come down.

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That was easier, but still awkward.

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It’s amazing how much dirt gets up under there.

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White on one side, brown on the other.

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Soffit.

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No soffit.

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I have no idea what this is all about.

It’s not mold, just black spray paint.

🥴

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News you can’t use.

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It’s probably all useless these days, but mine is extra ridiculous.

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Ever had a dog hump your leg?

Imagine if it was an eight foot, 275 pound ostrich. Not so cute anymore.

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I’d buy that.

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Note to self – do not update to iOS 18.

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I’ve been touting hydrogen fuel for years.

I also announce “cow!” whenever we pass one on a road trip.

It’s a perfect combination.

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Is it me… or does AI seem a little too interested in sex lately?

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🤣

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“But what do I do with it..?”

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This is Lord Dudley Mountcatten surveying his domain.

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Here’s Lord Dudley Mountcatten noticing an interloper in his domain.

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten’s reaction was priceless.

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After some closer inspection?

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And a positive baby woodchuck identification…

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten was clueless.

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And looked back at me as if to say, “What am I supposed to do with that?”

🤣

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A treasure guessing game.

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My husband came home with a treasure the other day.

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He bought it a flea market from someone who had no idea what it was.

He paid $7.

Tasking me with research, I came up with this:

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And this:

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They both look exactly like what he brought home.

I have doubts about it being a tea whisk. The Japanese take their tea ceremonies seriously and I think their tool would be more decorative.

Either way, it seems to be worth more than $7.

What’s your guess?

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You may think I’m too hard on him… but.

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As you know, my husband takes on a lot of projects around our house.

A lot of projects he probably shouldn’t.

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Yes, he saves us money we’d otherwise spend on contractors… but those savings come at a price.

Workmanship he would never accept from a contractor are commonplace. Like these unevenly matched boards I’m sure to stub a toe on.

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Mitered corners?

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Not his strong suit.

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Gaps?

Yeah, we’ve got those too.

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The composite decking is finished.

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And while this end looks pretty good…

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The other end was a total clusterf*ck.

I gasped when I went out there and saw how far off the edge was… thinking, surely he’s going to fix that.

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But no.

That’s the finished product.

Close on the left, but not nearly close enough on the right.

This is what you get when you don’t hire a professional.

🥴

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