This isn’t my usual bus…

I’m typing to you from the bus up to visit my friend Jessica in Portsmouth, NH! But this isn’t just any bus… First, I printed out my ticket directly from the C&J website. I arrived at the gate and was handed a bottle of ice cold water. Walking down the aisle of the bus, I turned from leather chairs to televisions (with headset jacks at each seat) to the ample leg room, and right to the jewel of it all – CUP HOLDERS. Why is this the first bus I’ve been on with cup holders? How awesome that would be in the morning for our coffees.

We start to pull out of Boston’s South Station and – what’s this? – we have WIRELESS INTERNET??

Anyway, Jess moved to Portsmouth recently while beginning an exciting job opportunity in Newburyport, MA. I look forward to getting up there, taking her dog for a walk (her other dog is home with Gary and the boys right now), and walking around town with only margaritas as a goal.

So what have you been up to lately, my friends? Are you enjoying these lovely two weeks of summer before it all disappears again? Exciting to be talking about hurricanes already…

I’ve gotta say, the photography biz just took an extreme turn for the sky in this beautiful weather (that means it’s gone “up”).  I have booked six dog gigs over less than three week’s time, and that’s not including a spontaneous session at a family reunion with four families (and three dogs) on the coast of Rhode Island! My press release was picked up for the first time today by the new BostonPetLink.com, and I even interviewed with the Barnstable Patriot yesterday. How funny, because my friends and I used to be in the Patriot for local rec and high school sports.

Gary’s been doing a ton of fishing, and we’ve been eating a ton of fish. Our garden is finally catching up and we’re seeing lots of cucumbers, tomatoes and hot peppers forming. Unfortunately, our many dog walks through the woods and ponds has led to us both having poison ivy on our hands right now – ITCH!

These photos are from the recent annual trip Eric & Jill made to spend a week on the Cape with the kids and friends!

We’re having a great few weeks of guests coming and going, and boating season really is just now upon us (when the dock is less crowded and the fish are more hungry). Leslie joined us this weekend as Dave rode the Pan Mass Challenge – congrats Dave! And newlyweds BG and Sam are arriving for the weekend ahead.

Eric, Jill and the kids were also here with friends for the last week – this time renting a house out in Eastham. Always fun to get some beach time with our favorite little ones!

Meanwhile, we’re happy cheering for Jason Bay and the Red Sox (my favorite sign was “Bay being Bay”, so kudos to that guy if he finds this blog), and I still don’t know who won the Tour de France because we have a few stages left on the DVR. Speaking of biking, we are running what is maybe my fifth sixth seventh? Falmouth Road Race this coming weekend. I think I’ll always register for it, despite the fact that it’s consistently the hottest, most humid day of the year, but I’ve definitely turned my sights more on biking for the future. I’m looking forward to doing a century (100 miles) and a multi-day tour in the near future, and thankfully our circle of biking friends keeps growing! My deepest thanks for introducing me to the sport will always go to Nathan, who passed away a year ago this month.

Lastly, I’d just like to send a shout-out to my Mom & Dad (and Rigley) after another hard-working week as head-honchos for the Barnstable County Fair! They’re already getting ready to head back out on the RV trail again, not to mention the fact that they’ve put a rush on me getting my “stuff” out of the house before rennovations, eek.

We have one coat of paint on the walls in the TV room. We spent over two years with no drawer-fronts in the gorgeous built-in bar. The wall we tore down two Thanksgivings ago is still painted with primer only. Our deck is stained everywhere but under the custom benches. And now, our upstairs bathroom has been gutted… since December.

One thing’s for sure though. We’ve definitely painted the upstairs hallway. Four times.

Now fishing season is upon us and time is short on home projects. But just for the heck of it, Gary tore out the driveway this weekend. He wants it longer, wider and made of gravel instead of the existing pavement (don’t ask).

I commend him for the fact that the boat is still wrapped up, though maybe that’s to keep the moth poop off of it. Pete’s coming from Cali this weekend to FISH.