Piggies. and The Waves

I love riding in Maine. Where else do you ride by something like this?


Last year there was just the one Mommy pig, but how awesome was it to ride by this year only to discover she'd had babies! Seriously, you only find this shit in rural Maine.

The ocean this week has been nuts here on the northeastern Atlantic coast. Hurricane Bill didn't actually hit us, but it was just off the coast and caused havoc anyway. The seas were outrageous. We came out Sunday morning to discover massive waves--8-10 feet tall, and that the tide had come all the way up to the dunes the night before. That just doesn't happen here--like ever. The ocean was so rough that the lifeguards (who maybe were just practicing last week when saving that buoy???) made 22 rescues by one p.m., and then closed the beach to swimming. We were told if we got in that it would be a criminal offense!

Later we found out that in Acadia National Park, just up the coast, 20 people were swept into the water by a rouge wave. Many made it back to shore, though most suffered broken bones from being smashed against the rocks, but six or seven did not make it back on their own. They were rescued--except for one little seven-year-old girl who didn't make it. Her father was swept in too, but survived.

My oldest daughter turned eight on Monday. And she swam on Sunday in that same rough sea.
makes. you. stop.

On Monday there was still a yellow flag out, which means , of course, CAUTION! There were still gigantic waves and a massive rip tide. People disobeyed the caution rule, of course. They came out in droves to try and surf. The lifeguards worked their asses off to keep people safe--blowing their whistles every 30 seconds, I swear. (What a week for that boy, huh?) They had to close The Pier in Old Orchard because waves were smashing over it.

Today we were finally able to get back in the water for real. I managed an OW swim, but it was rather, um, challenging. It was actually kind of fun to try to gauge whether I could swim over a wave, or whether I would have to dive under it because it was going to crash on my head and pummel my body. Good times. Alina and her friend Kathy swam too. We. Be. Tough. Mamas.

This is Jordan and me on her 8th birthday, August 24. We look alike, huh? I consider her birthday my birthday too... the birth of my entrance into Mommyhood--which changes a person unalterably and overwhelmingly.
She trained me. She trains me everyday. I'm super lucky that my first is so forgiving, smart and helpful. Your first-born just gets knocked around by the waves of her parents' inexperience. She appears to be surviving it with total grace.

Here she is with her little sis. Jordan dressed her--so don't blame me! In the background is her bro, who would have none of that shit.


I have a more substantive post coming. It's just not done brewing yet.