Hello again! I hope you are all doing well!
Summer seems to be flying by. After a spell of hot weather here, it has been cooler for the last few weeks, and tonight is downright chilly (I'm wearing four layers of sweaters and things).
Sorry to tell you, but I've nothing to report job-wise, except that I think that I'm now starting to look quite undesirable to potential employers. On cover letters, I'm trying to explain my long work absences with "been doing a lot of traveling and writing"--this may sound quite bohemian and cool, but perhaps would work better for someone fresh out of college. It may just sound flaky coming from someone my age!
Anyway, I'm still applying for jobs, and now widening my net. It's la job/living lottery! Will I end up in office administration or copy-editing? And will I be in Nashua, NH, or Portland, Maine, or even Burlington, Vermont? It's kind of exciting to see what happens, because I'm also working on writing projects, and it seems like everything is a possibility--if I want to stay with the "Flying Things" theme here, it's like everything is all tossed up into the air and fluttering around, and at some point, something is going to take off and fly. I'm pushing hard for the writing, but at any moment there is the possibility that I'll get a call for a job. Of course, if neither of those options happen, at some point, I'll be working at someplace like Duncan Donuts. No lie. And of course I could end up staying in the Lewiston/Auburn area, which would be a real bummer. But currently, all is open and possible!
Here are a few pictures from a nearby park that I walk to sometimes (an offshoot of the Lake of No Fun Allowed). This park has a no swimming sign up, but technically you could go wading if you don't mind the goose poop!
Summer seems to be flying by. After a spell of hot weather here, it has been cooler for the last few weeks, and tonight is downright chilly (I'm wearing four layers of sweaters and things).
Sorry to tell you, but I've nothing to report job-wise, except that I think that I'm now starting to look quite undesirable to potential employers. On cover letters, I'm trying to explain my long work absences with "been doing a lot of traveling and writing"--this may sound quite bohemian and cool, but perhaps would work better for someone fresh out of college. It may just sound flaky coming from someone my age!
Anyway, I'm still applying for jobs, and now widening my net. It's la job/living lottery! Will I end up in office administration or copy-editing? And will I be in Nashua, NH, or Portland, Maine, or even Burlington, Vermont? It's kind of exciting to see what happens, because I'm also working on writing projects, and it seems like everything is a possibility--if I want to stay with the "Flying Things" theme here, it's like everything is all tossed up into the air and fluttering around, and at some point, something is going to take off and fly. I'm pushing hard for the writing, but at any moment there is the possibility that I'll get a call for a job. Of course, if neither of those options happen, at some point, I'll be working at someplace like Duncan Donuts. No lie. And of course I could end up staying in the Lewiston/Auburn area, which would be a real bummer. But currently, all is open and possible!
Here are a few pictures from a nearby park that I walk to sometimes (an offshoot of the Lake of No Fun Allowed). This park has a no swimming sign up, but technically you could go wading if you don't mind the goose poop!
According to Wikipedia, the dragonflies above are Twelve-Spotted Skimmers, and the ones below are maybe Long-Tailed Skimmers. Dragonflies are territorial, and will go back to the exact same branch over and over, so if you want to observe them, just sit near the area they are hanging out and soon they will ignore you. I sat near this spot by the lake for quite awhile, just a few feet away from them, watching their zooming acrobatics and their wings catching the light.

And this is probably a Common Blue Damselfly (also called American Bluet). You can always tell damselflies from dragonflies, because dragonflies rest with their wings open, and damselflies rest with their wings closed.
Great Falls Balloon Festival
The big festival in the Auburn/Lewiston area is a hot air balloon festival! It was held August 15-17 on both sides of the river, but mainly the Lewiston side. Music, food, a parade, all the usual festival stuff, with hot air balloons!

The theme for this year was Pirates! ("ARRRR Ya Ready Fer Some Fun?!"). Even a balloon festival needs a theme, apparently. (And that's not a fire under the sun, just how the propane looks in this lighting.)
BTW: This would probably be something that Holland, Michigan could take note of for their Tulip Time Festival, which, let's face it, could use some jazzing up. It's been doing the same theme--tulips--for decades! Imagine it: dutch pirate dancers with eye patches and blacked-out teeth, a pirate takeover of the trolly tours (hand over yer booty, ye scurs!), storming the stage at the fashion show at the Market Plaatz (just how loudly can retired dutch tourists scream?), boat tours of Lake Macatawa complete with walking the plank, and endless parade possibilities. Swashbuckling good fun for the whole family!
But back to the Great Falls festival...
Besides Peg Leg and the sunshine balloon, the rest of the balloons were regular-shaped. There were several launch times, at least one of which was cancelled due to wind. The one below was on Saturday, quite overcast and a little sprinkly, but not windy at all. From around 6:00 to 7:30, they launched about 15-20 balloons--I lost track--one after another. There's a sequence below of the process if you are interested. (Note that the balloon with the broad yellow stripes was tethered and just kept going up a bit and then back down all day, giving people rides.)
BTW: This would probably be something that Holland, Michigan could take note of for their Tulip Time Festival, which, let's face it, could use some jazzing up. It's been doing the same theme--tulips--for decades! Imagine it: dutch pirate dancers with eye patches and blacked-out teeth, a pirate takeover of the trolly tours (hand over yer booty, ye scurs!), storming the stage at the fashion show at the Market Plaatz (just how loudly can retired dutch tourists scream?), boat tours of Lake Macatawa complete with walking the plank, and endless parade possibilities. Swashbuckling good fun for the whole family!
But back to the Great Falls festival...
Besides Peg Leg and the sunshine balloon, the rest of the balloons were regular-shaped. There were several launch times, at least one of which was cancelled due to wind. The one below was on Saturday, quite overcast and a little sprinkly, but not windy at all. From around 6:00 to 7:30, they launched about 15-20 balloons--I lost track--one after another. There's a sequence below of the process if you are interested. (Note that the balloon with the broad yellow stripes was tethered and just kept going up a bit and then back down all day, giving people rides.)
So, that was fun! Here, there, and everywhere, balloons going up, and kids running around with bubble makers, and live music. And totally free, except for the two dollars I paid to go into a partially inflated balloon on the ground, which was very cool and really put into perspective just how big those things really are. I didn't even buy any food since they were giving away yogurt, and I ate like, five of them (what?? I'm unemployed, and they said to take as many as you want, and I took the containers home to recycle, and it wasn't like it was those horrible narrow Yopliat things that the little animals get their head stuck in in the landfills...anyway...maybe I do feel a little defensive, but oh well, next time I go to a festival, I won't take any! Probably!)
ANYWAY! That's about it, otherwise mostly really dull stuff I guess, just getting things done every day and hoping for more time but also hoping for a job, too, and chatting with neighbors and hanging out with the neighbor cats and taking walks. Brother Philip has gone blueberry raking these last few weeks (it's this whole big thing--blueberry bushes that grow low to the ground, miles and miles of them, and around this time of year, harvesters come in with these scoopy rake things and rake across the ground to get the blueberries. He's done it every year for a long time now--kind of like his camping getaway while he makes some nice money. Except that it's crazy hard work!!).
I probably won't post again until something happens, and when that is....your guess is as good as mine! I hope you are all well and enjoying the rest of summer. Have a happy Labor Day and enjoy that three-day weekend!
ANYWAY! That's about it, otherwise mostly really dull stuff I guess, just getting things done every day and hoping for more time but also hoping for a job, too, and chatting with neighbors and hanging out with the neighbor cats and taking walks. Brother Philip has gone blueberry raking these last few weeks (it's this whole big thing--blueberry bushes that grow low to the ground, miles and miles of them, and around this time of year, harvesters come in with these scoopy rake things and rake across the ground to get the blueberries. He's done it every year for a long time now--kind of like his camping getaway while he makes some nice money. Except that it's crazy hard work!!).
I probably won't post again until something happens, and when that is....your guess is as good as mine! I hope you are all well and enjoying the rest of summer. Have a happy Labor Day and enjoy that three-day weekend!