by Susan | Aug 19, 2019 | Out and About in Maine
Hannah had the great fortune with win a raffle for a night’s stay at Kawahnee Inn located in Weld Maine. She took me along on her adventure. We went swimming in Webb Lake and lounged on the beach. We enjoyed dining on the Inn’s screened-in porch. The lobster gnocchi,...
by Susan | Jul 9, 2019 | Family, On My Mind
Hannah has been a jet setter this summer. She took a year of Arabic language her freshman year and ended up being invited by her Arabic professor to film the oral histories of Arab immigrants in the Columbus, Ohio area as part of a grant. As a cinema major, she jumped...
by Susan | Mar 19, 2019 | Out and About in Maine
The last day of winter is three days into Hannah’s spring break. After two days spent working on a paper due yesterday, today was our first day to get outdoors. We headed to Roque Bluffs beach, Hannah’s happy place. This has been her toughest semester so...
by Susan | Nov 3, 2018 | On My Mind
Hannah has a habit of leaving me sticky notes here and there. Happy little notes that make me smile. Sometimes I find them on my computer. Other times they’re stuck in my planner. Sometimes they’re written to music or rhyme. Sometimes they reference and...
by Susan | Sep 4, 2018 | Cats and Dogs, On the Farm
I have deposited Hannah to Denison University for her sophomore year. She’s got a fabulous room and roommate situation this year and she said, “I have really good vibes about this year.” I cried for just a short while instead of the entire trip home. Progress on the...
by Susan | Aug 26, 2018 | Family, On My Mind
What a whirlwind the last few days have been since Hannah finished work for the summer. Back-to-school shopping. Every outing with her seems like an adventure. We explored Cadillac Mountain – something we see from a distance on our end of the coast. Smoke from...
by Susan | Aug 16, 2018 | Out and About in Maine
It’s blueberry harvest season and Hannah is in the thick of it. This is her third summer working for Jasper Wyman & Son. After her first couple of weeks working with HR gearing up for the season, she’s been in charge of one of the scales weighing blueberries....
by Susan | Aug 5, 2018 | Family, On My Mind
She’s 19 today. Hannah – the brightest star in my universe. There are so many things I love about this young woman. Her big heart. Her willingness to stand up for what’s right. Her work ethic. Her wacky sense of humor. Her sharp mind. Her fondness for crazy socks....
by Susan | May 28, 2018 | Out and About in Maine
Hannah and I trekked to Alaska Cove off Willard Point today – a spectacular afternoon for a hike. I’m not sure why we’ve never explored this trail before as it’s only fifteen minutes from the house. A Wood Thrush flitting about the undergrowth....
by Susan | May 21, 2018 | On My Mind
The weather cooperated and delivered a fabulous day for our first beach walk of the season. Two beaches, two walks with lunch out sandwiched in between. The water was icy and tepid in turns. The incoming tide icy, the outgoing flow comfortable on our toes. By...
by Susan | Mar 24, 2018 | Out and About in Maine
It took six days of driving between Paul and me to bring Hannah home for just five days. Given the phone calls I had during mid-term week, it was pretty clear that Hannah needed to come home as much as I wanted to have her here. Life seems so much fuller when...
by Susan | Mar 19, 2018 | Out and About in Maine
Home from college for a few short days, Hannah and I took off on a drive this afternoon. The proud owner of a shiny new Canon, a gift from her grandmother, Hannah was eager to experiment. It was so fun to be taking photos with her rather having her simply being my...
by Susan | Jan 14, 2018 | Out and About in Maine
A winter’s day Sunday drive. On this marsh, yesterday’s high waters flash froze before receding. The crackle and tinkling sound of breaking ice was like a background music score. A new day, a new beach to explore. Colder than yesterday with a high of 19...
by Susan | Nov 25, 2017 | On My Mind
At last! I finally got Hannah home from college for a glorious week. I made the three day round trip drive (13 hours of driving per day) to Ohio to pick her up and bring her home. We packed a lot into six days at home – shopping, movie theater, a hike, a beach...
by Susan | Oct 26, 2017 | Family, On My Mind
When Hannah left for college in August, the toughest part of leaving home for her was leaving Snape, aka Boo, behind. While we have two cats and a dog, Hannah is Boo’s human. Since Hannah’s departure, Snape has moved into our room taking up permanent...
by Susan | Jul 21, 2017 | On the Farm
I’ve been working on introducing Monarch butterflies to my garden since the spring when I planted Milkweed – the Monarch caterpillar’s food of choice. After visiting the Charlotte Rhoades Butterfly Garden, I’ve become a bit of a sleuth –...
by Susan | Jul 4, 2017 | Out and About in Maine
On this Fourth of July, Hannah and I explored some of the beautiful gardens of Mount Desert Island. Our initial destination was the Charlotte Rhoades Butterfly Garden in Southwest Harbor. This small, but spectacular garden was designed by Bruce John Riddell who is...
by Susan | Jun 11, 2017 | Family, On My Mind
I’m not a foodie and you’ll find more “oops” stories here at Downeast Thunder Farm than you will recipes. In planning for Hannah’s graduation celebration, I found these little graduation cap cupcakes on Pinterest. They looked pretty...
by Susan | Mar 20, 2017 | Family, On My Mind
The movie Beauty and the Beast has a special place in my heart and in our family. Hannah has never been an over the top girly-girl. As a kid, she enjoyed Legos more than dolls. She was never into princesses but rather thought she’d be a firefighter. Yet there...
by Susan | Nov 12, 2016 | Out and About in Maine
A crisp November afternoon found Hannah, Gidget, and me at McClellan Park. We’d planned to walk the short trails but instead spent the afternoon scrambling across the rocks; a picture perfect afternoon! Gidget was a trooper, but Hannah ended up carrying her much...