Willard Beach

We went to the beach once last year, and it was short lived due to the huge storm clouds that rolled in. I don't think I even managed to get any sand in my hair, that's how quick we were in and out. I have to admit, I'm not an ocean lover. Living in Maine near the coast has not lulled me to the sandy shores, I'd much rather relax near a lake or go camping. But there is something about laying down on the hot sand under the sun with a gentle ocean breeze that is definitely appealing! 

The squeeze and I made it a point to make it to the beach at least once before we leave, Wednesday's weather was 80's and sunny, perfect day for it. I wanted to go to Willard Beach because A) it's free and B) it's actually a nice, clean, and relatively uncrowded beach. It's near SMCC, but to get to it you have to slightly navigate through a neighborhood and park on a dead end street next to someone's beach house. I like this because it almost makes it feel like a little secret, and only you and the other few cars parked on the dead end road know how to get there. In reality this is not the case and there's several ways to get there and there are lots of other people basking in the sun. Regardless, I still like the experience of getting there.

And look at this cute entryway, isn't it the cutest entryway you've ever seen?? Bees love these flowers, they're only around for a little while and wilt away quickly so there's always a million yellow buzzing things nearby. It was a great beach day, we lay side by side in the sun for a couple hours talking about our itinerary for Disney, and then headed home to begin packing up our apartment. I left with a lovely memory and a terrible sunburn (my own fault as didn't apply a single drop of sunscreen). 

I say I won't miss the ocean when we are in Texas, but it may hit home that it's not nearby anymore once we are actually there. I think being used to something that's so accessible and so synonymous with your home state might be harder to let go of than I imagine. We could always visit the Gulf when we are in TX, but a trip back to a Maine beach may be in order when we visit, not even to swim in but just to smell the salty air. Two more days and it will be August!

Heights

Have you ever been in a hot air balloon?? I haven't. I've thought about it before, but half of me is utterly terrified of heights, while the other half wants to bite the bullet and experience skydiving. Unfortunately the scared half is mainly the dominant half and the thought of jumping thousands of feet out of an airplane gives me anxiety. You'd have a hard enough time just getting me to stand at a shallow ledge. 

I was making my way back to my car downtown after running an errand and this bright orange hot air balloon just popped out from behind a building. I was a little confused at first at what it was, hot air balloons aren't something you see around here, but the second I figured it out I grabbed my phone to snap a pic. It was gone pretty quickly, hot air balloons move a lot faster than I had imaged. Maybe floating up into the sky in a big colorful bubble wouldn't be that scary, perhaps a hot air balloon ride should be added to the bucket list!

Storm

It's been rather cloudy here lately, showers on and off every couple hours. I snapped this picture yesterday when I stepped outside to take a breather from being cooped up at my desk all day. Spooky clouds overhead! The angle makes the dealership look like some huge modern haunted house. In fact, at some point the power went out and it did feel like a haunted house, it was like I was in the movie Scream while trying to do my thing in the ladies room. It's a 'meh' kinda day today as well, clouds are looming above while thunder occasionally growls. Storms bring good weather though, right??

Ogest

This is Ogest, he was my dad's wife's dog. He unfortunately passed away a few weeks ago, at a ripe old age though. My dad's wife resides in Nizhny Novgorod, the 5th largest city in Russia. After years of paperwork and signatures she is finally able to come to the U.S. and purchased a one way ticket for August 4th. Originally she was going to bring Ogest and her second dog, a little toy Yorkie, but Ogest passed suddenly. 

I was looking forward to meeting him, over the 12+ years they have been married my dad has shown me several photos of Ogest and told me when he would travel to Russia and stay for long periods of time that he grew accustomed to his snoring. Losing a pet is losing a family member, it's something we have all had to come to grips with at some point in our lives as our pets don't outlive us. It's upsetting to accept that reality, but all we can do is make the best of our time with them and enjoy every silly animal moment. 

My dad's wife and I aren't too close, no personal reasons, we've just been an Atlantic Ocean apart so we haven't had time to really get to know one another. But I wanted to give her something when she does arrive here in August so perhaps things are a little easier. I'm sure I would have loved Ogest, how could you not with that big grin??

Ta Da

So like I promised, here they are! Take note of the spectacular job the squeeze did cleaning up the wall and meticulously painting in those purple squares behind each painting. 

The show on Food Network, Taco Trip, did their interview of Taco Escobarr last week and the episode will air in October! The squeeze's contributions to the restaurant, i.e., the outside sign and 10,000 chili pepper lights strung from the ceiling, and my paintings will be on cable TV, how exciting! We probably still won't actually be paying for cable in October as we've gotten used to surviving off Hulu Plus and Netflix, but I'm sure we'll find some way to view the episode.

Keep your eyeballs peeled! 

Bear

A couple months ago a friend reached out and told me his brother just passed away. He said he saw some of my paintings online and wanted to know if he could request something to commemorate him and their mother that passed not long before that. He told me his brother went by the nickname 'Bear' (which I think is hilarious and awesome), and that his mother loved owls. I promised him after I finished up my big "Taco" project that I would hop right on it.

I browsed the web for pictures, drawings, and paintings of bears. Black bears, polar bears, grizzly bears, you name it. I just needed something to help me figure out what to paint. I came across a sketch of a big goofy smiling bear and it was perfect. I'm sure with a nickname like 'Bear' you gotta smile a lot and have a hearty laugh. I pictured in my head what would happen if a cute little poofy owl planted itself on the bear's head, how would he react... he would probably lean his head back and chuckle.

I asked the squeeze to impersonate the bear in that moment, just to see what he would come up with. We both grabbed our sides laughing as he let out an honest and cheerful 'huyah huyah huyah!'

We both crack up whenever we look at the painting, I hope it brings my friend the same joy and entertainment it's brought us (I made sure to snap several pics so we could refer back to it if we need a good laugh)!

Big Dog

That's basically what I thought I saw on the highway the other day. It obviously wasn't a big dog but rather a huge horse sticking his head out the window enjoying the highway ride. It would have been hilarious if his tongue was sticking out and his jowls were flapping everywhere. Horses are essentially huge canines you can ride, right? Except with a dog you don't have to worry about losing a toe, or five, if they misstep.

I remember a couple years ago I visited a friend out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere Bridgton, his family had a single huge Clydesdale with his own fenced in area set up in the front yard. He.Was.Massive. I've always wondered if animals can smell fear, if they can then I probably reeked to him. I was terrified of being so close to an enormous animal, it felt like I was standing next to a dinosaur (or what I image standing next to a dinosaur feels like). My cautiousness (or fear, call it what you will) came in handy when he bumped into me and nearly crushed my foot, I jumped back but he still managed to step on the edge of my shoe and squashed my baby toe. I had a pretty gnarly bruise for about two weeks.

I'll probably just stick to actual dogs, preferably smaller ones.

Holy

They must have named their establishment Holy Donut because it's the closet thing to heaven that us mere mortals have on this good earth. But really though. If you've never had the opportunity to try a Holy Donut, make a trip to Portland, Maine, or have someone you know in Portland ship some to you. I don't know if that's legal or not but I would worry about the minor details later. This particular beauty is their pomegranate donut *insert Wile E. Coyote with tongue hanging to the floor* Did I mention that these are potato donuts? And for their sweet potato donuts they use actual sweet potatoes? 

Oh lawd. 

The potato makes them have a cake-like texture instead of that typical dry and crumbly stuff you so often find yourself biting into. The two shops in Portland are open for a good chunk of the day, but they tend to close once they sell out of donuts... which is very often. I am unfortunately stuck at work all afternoon so I won't be making any Holy stops today, but rest assured we will be taking some with us once we start our journey! I'll probably look into this shipping donuts things as well...

Tacos

Guess what I'm doing right now? A happy jig because I finally completed the Taco Escobarr wall commission! I know, you're probably raising an eyebrow thinking these look familiar and that I'm not on my game today. They are the same paintings from a previous post, but I had to add three more; the scorpion, arrows, and shrimp, so technically you're right. It's a huge relief though, not to mention I'm looking forward to not having wooden boards littering our living room floor. I also can't wait to see them up on the wall at the restaurant! It'll be a nice feeling to leave something behind that's memorable in our hometown, I'm hoping it gets a lot of positive feedback from taco lovers and margarita sippers alike.

What's your favorite? I'm partial to the skull, because, well, I love to draw dead things. That sounds a lot more morbid than I mean... I just love skulls.

The squeeze is going to help out and bring the wall they will be hanging from back to life, it's been displaying several varieties of artwork for First Friday over the months and as a result looks like a slice of Swiss cheese. It needs a lot of TLC and spackle to say the least. So after some filler and a fresh coat of paint, up they go!

I will definitely take a picture of their final resting place (pun intended) once everything is set up.

Sweet Dreams

Oh to be a cat! I was up bright and early the other day getting ready for work when I saw this mush ball passed out on the chaise lounge. I tried to tip toe my way over to snap a pic and ended up tripping on the ladder to our loft (we move it at night so Pig doesn't climb it and jump on our faces while we sleep), and catapulted myself across the room. 

Did she even flinch? No. I pulled myself together noisily and stood over her and took this photo. Again, not a flinch. She could practically pass for a slab of deli meat she was so motionless, with the mere exception that you could hear her snoring (more like cat wheezing but you get my point).

Oh to be a cat.

I wonder what they dream about. Do they dream? They must dream. I wonder if she is dreaming about her big adventure to Texas. Probably not. I can dream that my cat has self awareness, can't I?? If she could talk she'd probably say 'Ma, you're crazy.'

Sweet American Summer

I feel like this picture does a pretty good job of summing up one aspect of summer, delicious cold sweet summer treats! Did I mention how much I love that we can walk from our apartment to any spot our hearts desire?? (I know I have several times, it's a rhetorical question, let me bathe in the glory that is downtown living!)

I suggested ice cream on one 80+ degree evening, the squeeze had never been to Mount Desert over on Exchange Street so we happily made the trek out. On a side note, he was very upset to learn that they never took the obvious opportunity to call it Mount Dessert Desert Ice Cream. Anyway, they have two other locations in Bar Harbor, apparently President Obama ordered their coconut ice cream once when he visited our great state and they continued to sell out of it afterwards. Coconut is one of my favorite flavors ever, touché Mr.Obama. 

Neither of these are coconut though, these days I've coconut-ed myself out. The bottom scoop is their Maine Mint and the top is the Coriander Blackberry Ripple Streusel. The mint was my favorite, and despite my love for neon colors I was very happy this wasn't some crazy psychedelic green that mint flavors usually are. If I recall correctly I think one of the girls behind the counter said they mixed actual mint leaves throughout it, yummmm.

I love summer for everything it has to offer, and binging on local ice cream shop stock is right at the top of the list.

Vines

One of my favorite things about Portland are the old buildings that make up the city, some of them have been here for so long they've turned into something straight out of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Seeing vine encased facades like this is not uncommon, even our apartment is half green! The morning of the squeeze's birthday we walked up State Street, a long stretch of uphill road lined with large brick buildings similar to this. 

The squeeze and I both stopped and examined the massive green vine monster. I asked if he wondered whether or not the structure of the building had been compromised over time due to the little vines making their way over and through it. Neither of us knew. Some of these buildings have been here for 100+ years and are still standing strong, despite mother nature's green touch.

Regardless, I love the way it looks. It would be interesting to live behind the walls of one of these heavily decorated buildings, just look at that window, it's practically enclosed! In the winter it's a lot less lush looking and a lot more creepy with just the bare vine stems clinging to the walls. I wonder if we'll see this down south?

29

That's how young the squeeze turned on Thursday, happiest of birthdays to my other half!! I wanted to do something special since this will be the last birthday for either of us that we'll get to celebrate before we move (until we come back to visit of course!). All of the squeeze's friends helped me out and gathered together at The Saltwater Grille for a surprise dinner. I couldn't have asked for a better turnout; the weather was perfect, the sunset was beautiful, the company was awesome, and of course the food was delicious. So much success!

Afterwards we walked over to the dock sitting perpendicular to the restaurant and spent some time on a huge boat, courtesy of one of the squeeze's friends.

Thank you for being you! You are the kindest, most selfless human being I have met and I feel so lucky that you picked me to share your days with. I hope 28 has been an awesome year, I can't wait to spend 29 with you on a new adventure! 

Hugo

This is Hugo, a friend's kitty. I was given the honor of babysitting (petsitting? Cat feeding?) little Hugo over the weekend while his owners traveled up to Acadia. I am fortunate enough to have a kitty who eats only when she's hungry, meaning I can leave her bowl full and unattended at all times. Most other kitties though, like Hugo, need to be fed accordingly or they will become fat or choke on their food in an effort to swallow it all at once. Silly cats. 

My first feeding visit I opened the door to no kitty greeting me, unusual for Hugo since he likes to try and escape. I walked up the two flights of stairs to get to their apartment and still no kitty *Uh oh*  I searched their place, yelling his name and still nothing. I stood silent for a bit and from the back of the apartment I heard the saddest little 'mew' you could possibly imagine.

Hugo got himself locked in the closet. Good job Hugo. I sent my friend a photo of him fleeing from the dark space, I think she scolded her boyfriend because it was he who wasn't paying attention and shut the door on the cat. I stuck my head in to check if he had made a bathroom out of their clothes, the coast was clear!

He hovered around me the entire time I was there, probably thought he would be a closet cat for ever, who knows what goes on in their heads. Needless to say, the second time we came back to feed him he was the nicest to me he'd ever been. I'd like to think of myself as a sort of cat whisperer, but I think at that point Hugo just associated me with food so he was looking forward to my visit.

Silly cats.

239

That's only how old America is, and to think, there are some super-centenarian's out there who are close to half that age! We did what every other New Englander did on the 4th of July, binge eat until your pants cut the circulation off to the lower half of your body. BBQ, margaritas, cheese and crackers, desserts, 100 types of salads, buffalo chicken dip, nachos, ugh you name it. They should include a warning before every 4th of July party; "eat at your own risk, stretchy waistband pants highly encouraged." 

Aside from the amount of food that could easily feed a family of 10 for two weeks, it's always a good time to see and be with people who are important to you. As cheesy as it sounds, it's true! Especially since we are moving soon, it's been brought to my attention that I am a huge sap (surprise) so I have been trying to meet with the people who are most important to me as often as I can before we go. Our first stop over the weekend was friends of the squeeze's family, Bonnie and Paul. I've been fortunate enough to meet these two a bunch of times, they're always smiling and I've enjoyed every outing that they've been a part of. Not to mention they have a gorgeous house by the water where they host their annual 4th of July party, so that doesn't hurt.

Afterwards we made our way to my (bear with me) long-time friend Amanda's husband's grandmother's home in Buxton. It got too cold for pool shenanigans, too cold for anything holiday related really. The icing on the cake for the night was walking down down to Bonny Eagle Pond after sunset and watching the fireworks literally go off above our heads. We sat underneath some large trees but phosphorous pieces still managed to rain on us, fortunately no one caught on fire. All around the lake people were setting off their own fireworks show, everywhere you looked you saw little explosions. A thick fog of smoke from the fireworks sat on the water, it looked a little like a scene out of a Halloween movie. A successful 4th of July if I do say so myself!

Sunflowers

I grew up a major tomboy, and now in my 20's I still prefer leggings instead of pants and flats instead of heels. But sometimes a girl's still a girl, and I'll be damned if being a tomboy prohibits me from loving flowers and girly lattes. These days I'm a lot less boyish than I used to be, I have mastered the cat-eye look and even occasionally use hair spray (this is quite a big deal since I've never in my life used any hair products).

Tomboy qualities also include ridding the apartment of any spiders so the squeeze doesn't have to, rocking my work hoodie until he says it's no longer acceptable to be this casual, being in love with my WRX and talking to it like she's a person, swearing like a dirty sailor until the squeeze also says it's no longer acceptable to be this casual. I think I clean up pretty nicely though when I have to be presentable to the public eye.

That being said, the squeeze knows me all too well, and if he brings me sunflowers and a skinny vanilla latte from Starbucks I am pretty much putty. How can you not love that combo, just look at this photo, doesn't it instantly cheer you up??

Perhaps I'm just easily pleased. Not a bad thing I guess. I'll take a dozen roses, a rally car, and a latte please!