College Updates

Yesterday we went to an open house at Colby-Sawyer in NH. This update is devoid of photos because it poured all day. We could tell that the area around the college was probably very beautiful with wonderful mountain views but unfortunately all we saw was mist and fog. The campus was well maintained and the library was a converted barn with silo, very nice.

We have one more college to visit on November 11th, MCLA or Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts out in North Adams, MA. They have a creative writing program and from a parental point of view will be the financial safety school. So this is where we are at to date:

#1 Champlain College- Burlington, VT

#2 Hofstra University- Long Island, NY

#3 Colby-Sawyer- New London, NH

The other schools that have been visited and are a no are:

University Farmington- Farmington, ME

Quinnipiac University- Hampden, CT

Green Mountain College- Poultney, VT

To those out there that have gone through or are going through this process you know how much work and how time consuming it is. For those who will be going through it my condolences;)

Way Too Early

This is what we woke up to this morning. Hey, it’s only October 16th. I don’t think I can remember ever getting snow this early since we moved to New England. Granted it won’t last but I hope it’s not a harbinger of things to come.

Tomorrow Greg and Emily will be going to Farmington University in Maine for a visit. I’m working so they’ll be on their own. Next Saturday the three of us will be going for a visit to Colby-Sawyer College in NH, that should wrap up all the planned visits. Next step is to get the applications in then sit back and wait and wait…

Topsfield Fair 2009

The Topsfield Fair is the oldest County Fair in the country and has been a tradition of ours since we moved here. This year marked our 28th fair. It runs for 10 days and ends on Columbus Day. I thought we might not make it this year but the weather was beautiful so we took advantage of it today. Please click on the photos for a closer look.

We always start out with the flower barn. I find it very peaceful and a nice escape from the hubbub of the fair.

 

We try to hit the buildings early before they get too crowded. Next is the vegetable building. Every year the great pumpkin makes an appearance. I thought it might not be as big this year due to all the rain but below is another record setting pumpkin. When I look at it I can envision the growers hovering and worrying about it all during the growing season.

In the veggie building the scouting troops make creations out of plants. There are a ton. These are some of my favorites.

 

Another favorite is the sand sculpture. This is started on day one of the fair. The sand artist does his thing while people mill about. I have taken one each year since I’ve gone digital. I keep thinking I’ll put them together. Maybe when I have some free time;) One advantage of going on the last day is we got to see the finished product.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I couldn’t resist the John Deere miniatures for Gary. There was a whole display so this is a teaser. 

 

 

 

 

My favorite part of the fair are the Hallamore Clydesdales. Much to the dismay of my family I could stand there and watch these gentle giants all day. These are some pics of them getting ready to tour the fair grounds and coming out of the arena. They are quite breathe taking. I hope you enjoyed my little sample of our fair. 

paDuok

Yesterday, October 8, 2009, Greg and I went to Lowell to attend a  recital Derek and his housemate Dave put together. Each music student is required to attend 10 recitals each semester.

 

Derek and Dave approached one of their professors back in the spring requesting to put a recital together. Derek has become incredibly skilled on the marimba. Dave is a senior and a music business major. Follow the links for a rare treat. Their recital was well attended and they received a standing ovation at the end. These are in the order in which they were performed. Lockenia is composed by Dave. Derek was the soloist on Over the Moon and Dave in Motion Beyond.

Mediterranean Sundance

Lockenia 

Over The Moon

Motion Beyond

Octobones

Octobones sample in HD

The second Octobones I shot a segment on my digital camera. It has the capability to shoot HD. I’ll have to use it more often.

A New First Choice

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, September 19 we got up early and hit the road by 6:30 a.m. We had a whirlwind trip through NH, Vermont, MA and a touch of NY. Our quest was for Burlington, VT and Champlain College. The weather was beautiful and the further north we went the more the colors were changing. Once we got into NH we hit a lot of fog. The above photo on the left shows the mountains that were always in our view. The photo on the right is the mountains with the whiter area showing the fog that we were headed into. (Click on photos for larger view).

Above is the view from an outdoor deck at Champlain College. You can see the mountains off in the distance with a great view of the lake. We had lunch there and were able to enjoy the beautiful view. The air is so fresh and clean there. We were all very impressed with the college and it moved up into the number one spot for Em. Our 2 tour guides were students. They had a lot of enthusiasm and good information to share. The college is very small only about 2000 students. The education is top notch and very personalized. They’re one of the few schools in the country to offer video game design. The ratio of guys to girls is 60/40 and tended to be a lot of computer geeks. Right now Em is thinking of creative writing which is offered.

The campus itself is unlike any we had ever seen before. Burlington is very hilly. From the street you really couldn’t tell there was a college. One side of the street is made up of old Victorian mansions like the ones below. In reality they are the dorms. They have all been refurbished for the students. We were able to see one of the rooms and I was impressed by how nice it was even though it was small. It even had wall-to-wall carpeting. There is a cleaning service so the kids don’t have to worry about that. The 2 photos above are part of the campus courtyard. We were very pleased not only with the school but the quality of education the kids get. As you can imagine it all comes with a price tag but its been our experience that there is no cheap secondary education unless you go to a community college.

The picture above left is the admissions building for Champlain College.

The University of Vermont is down the street from Champlain. Aside from the price tag my only other reservation is the distance. It took 3.5 hours to get there. When we finished up there we headed south to check out Green Mountain College. It’s very small, about 1000 students and after seeing Champlain we all knew right away that it would not be a good fit.

Traveling through Vermont I was impressed by how brilliant green it was. It was also clear that farming is a big industry for Vermont. The photo below on the left was typical of the farms we saw. We couldn’t help but think of Gary as we traveled through. We though if he had some extra time and hay bales on his hands he could create some of the hay art we saw all along the way.

The majority of these pictures were taken while we were traveling. I tried to capture a covered bridge as we whizzed by. Perhaps if Em gets accepted Greg and I can spend the night and really do some site seeing. It’s a beautiful state.

Greg and Mark’s Excellent Adventure

Greg and Mark went to Central Maine this past weekend to go ATVing. The Vibe is loaded up anticipating the fun ahead. Greg took Friday off so they could work on the trailer Mark borrowed from a friend. They headed north mid-afternoon. Click on photos for a larger view.

They stayed at a Bed and Breakfast located in Phillips Maine. It was called the Conroy House. They enjoyed their stay and said it was well worth a visit there if you’re in the area. If you are  interested in the specifics their web site is located here:

http://www.conroyhouse.com/index.php

They stayed in the area where the row of upper windows is and each had their own room sharing a common area.

 

The primary destination was a place called Allen's Pinnicle. It’s a spot that offers a panoramic view of the mountains of central Maine.  It took about three hours to reach the site along trails ranging from dirt roads to goat paths. All in all they spent almost 7 hours riding nearly 70 miles.

 

 

Above Mark stands on a piece of property that is for sale. He’s looking out on his dream vista.

The guys left early Sunday morning and arrived home around noon. Mark’s shoulders were a little sore and Greg’s back was bothering him from loading the trailer on Saturday but all-in-all they had a good time and plan to return in a few weeks (after they recover).

 

 

Another Milestone

Where does the time go. This is what Em used to ride around in. As of Saturday she has become a licensed driver, that was one of my goals for her. She needed a lot of pushing to go through driver’s ed. She had been very nervous, but now is very proud of herself and naturally wants her own car. We’re in no hurry for that one.

 

 

To the right is one of her senior shots. They sure do grow up. Right now the biggest thing is the college search, visits and applications. I think we’ll all be relieved when we know where she’s going and how much it will cost.

Derek spent much of his summer practicing the marimba’s. He’s become very skilled and passionate about this particular instrument. On one of the days he was practicing he was overheard by a department head which led to a personal invitation to marching band which he accepted, but he had his sights set on a much larger target, The Wind Ensemble. This is the premier group at school and very difficult to get into. Long story short he aced his audition and has joined the elite group. Looks like we’ll be purchasing a tuxedo for him in the very near future.

Mark and Greg eagerly have been planning for a get-away weekend to Maine so they can hit the trails together. Last weekend they couldn’t go because it was Em’s road test plus it rained. They’re hoping for this weekend.

Since around March of last year I’ve been able to get 2-3 days of work a week due to staffing issues. There is less time available now as new staffers have completed training, vacations are completed and one person came back from a medical leave. I have one day this week and next week and nothing the week after. The time only comes out a few weeks at a time so I don’t know what may be after that. With college for two getting closer and closer I’ve had to rethink my plan. The one perk of working for a large company is there are units all over. For those that don’t know I have been doing dialysis for almost 30 years and all but one of those years in my current unit, but the times they are a changing. This morning I called another unit that is not too far from home to see if my services could be used. Much to my surprise the clinical manager asked if I could work on Wednesday. I was really taken aback as I expected to have a visit, meet the clinical manager, get a tour of the unit and have answered a list of questions I’ve prepared. She was aware of me because another nurse I’ve worked with for years mentioned I was looking. My coworker has a different job and covers several units so she was an excellent resource. I guess her recommendation was good enough so Wednesday I’ll be showing up at 5:30 a.m. and agreed to work until 11 a.m. I feel a bit like being tossed into the fire but it’s pretty much been that way as far as my career goes. I tend to figure things out as I go.

Wednesday will be my test run and we’ll see if more will be in my future if they like me and I like them. I’m not ready for full time work at this juncture due to my little computer business and managing the home front, that may change once we have two kids in college. That’s another reason I wanted to venture into the deep end and decided to see what else was out there. I thought it would be easier and wiser to have things in place now while it’s not as critical as it may become. I would like to remain per diem because it gives me control of my schedule. There are two other units besides my main one giving me four possible units that are all within the same distance from our home. I feel very fortunate.