To do or not to do..

This weekend in Maine I was reminded of some of the reasons why I love New England so much, so here is my to do list for hanging in New England..
Do...
Eat fresh lobster... My cousins Nick and Beth were awesome enough to invite me to stay Friday for lobster straight off the boat. Besides the amazing lobster we also had corn on the cob and baked potatoes, essentially the perfect meal. But I reccomend putting the diet completely to the side, because this meal requires loads of butter and you WILL overeat. But since it's not something you do everyday just commit to it for a night and fully enjoy it.
Go stargazing...after lobster we were feeling overfull and mellow so we had a bonfire and miraculously the cloudy sky cleared up and we got to view the sky. The farther from the city lights and more populated areas you are the more amazing the stars become. I have never seen, anywhere in Ohio, stars like I have seen in New England.
Keep your gas tank reasonably filled...I was something of a road warrior this weekend. Driving from Vermont to Maine on Friday, then to meet my Aunt Natalie and cousin Tasha on Saturday so we could all drive down to Mass for a bridal shower. On the way down my Uncle Kev called to let us know that Tash's horse Daisy had delivered her baby that afternoon, so after a few hours (in which we really had a lot of fun at the shower) we got back into the car and headed back to Maine. I noticed I was running low on gas, but then forgot about it because we kept chatting away, so once we got back to my Aunt's car and I was following her back to her house we were really in the danger zone. However, unlike the city, the gas stations are often many miles apart when you get into the country, and the first two we passed were closed. After driving about 70 miles with the gas light on I finally cruised into an open gas station. So don't take for granted that another gas station is coming your way.
Lastly, find a whoopie pie...these awesomely delicous treats have always been a favorite of ours. We would rarely head to the lake without having stopped for some. There are two fluffy cakes held together with some yummy sugary cream. Now usually they are chocolate cakes and white cream filling, but the one I am currently enjoying consists of pumpkin cakes and cream cheese filling, I mean...c'mon.

Lake Placid

The Olympic games have always been a really big deal in our house. My parents have both always been athletic and enjoyed sporting events and they passed that on to their children. I am actually more likely to cry at a 22 year old kid unexpectedly winning a gold medal then any movie, no lie. I remember as far back as the Seoul Olympics in 88, but can tell you about many others that came before that thanks to many a Bud Greenspan marathons with my dad. Listening and watching as he takes you back to the important and exciting things that transpired in two weeks increments every four summers and winters. So when my Uncle Ted suggested we go check out Lake Placid home of both the 1932 and 1980 winter olympics, I immediately agreed. I have a special place in my heart for the 1980 olympics because I was born while they were happening, and my Gramp talks about watching the gold medal hockey game in the waiting room of the hospital while I was being born. Anyway, my uncle is part of the Adirondack luge club so he spends quite a bit of time in Lake Placid, so I got to see some things that the average tourist wouldn't get to. We started in the Olympic museum where we saw the first gold medal ever awarded during the winter olympics, and a variety of other olympic memorabilia including skates, bobsleds, hockey gear and torches from over the years. This was located right next to the outdoor skating ring where Erich Heiden won five gold medals in 1980, the most medals won at a winter olympics, I believe. Then we headed over to the arenas where I got to stand on the rink where sonja henie (sp?) won a gold medal in '32 and to see the rink where the "miracle on ice", one of my all time favorite olympic moments, happened in '80 (i've also officially seen the movie Miracle at least 100 times). We also got to check out the olympic training center, where the best hopes for upcoming olympic teams train. We peeked into one of the gyms where a few people were working out and all I could think was that even though I have no idea what sport they participated in I knew I was seeing people who were more dedicated to this dream then I have ever been to anything, it's enough to give you goose bumps. After that we headed to the bobsled/luge track where my Uncle spends his time sliding. We were lucky enough to be able to go up towards the top and walk the track. It was really cool to walk it with someone who has slid on it multiple times, my Uncle was able to explain to me as we walked the track some of the more technical pieces of the sport that the average person could never tell you. I also never realized how tall parts of the track were, at places I felt it was twice my height, yet you could still see marks from where different sleds had hit the top. It is also totally crazy to be standing where the best of the best have competed. It was an amazing day! Below are some pics of our Lake Placid adventure.
The actual first gold medal ever awarded at a winter olympics, on loan from the smithsonian

The goal and some of goalie Jim Craig's equipment from the 1980 gold medal winning hockey team

The home of the "Miracle on Ice" where the young American team pulled the mother of all upsets and took out the dominant Russian team to get to the gold medal game they eventually won against Finland.

This picture was taken in the ice rink and you can see the speed skating oval in the foreground, while if you look closely in the distance you can see the ski jumps to the right and the bobsled and luge track to the left.
Below is the start gate we started our walk down the track on.

Summer is here...almost

Memorial Day weekend marked the beginning of my summer. My parents flew into town for the closing on their new camp on Maidstone Lake in Vermont. I grew up going to the lake at least once a summer and have spent a couple whole summers there. I love it there and am beyond thrilled that there is now Elmendorf property on that lake. We drove straight from the closing to the lake and after a brief stop at the new camp headed over to my grandparents camp across the lake. Shortly after we got there family started showing up. The weekend was tons of fun, we spent most of Saturday showing the new camp off and doing some cleaning. Some of the boys braved the FREEZING cold water to put the dock in. We also had an impromptu camp warming, everyone came over and celebrated the new place. We had drinks, dinner and a storytelling session. We had a little trouble getting out of bed in the morning, but mostly because it was cold. Mom and I laid in bed with blankets until dad got the fire and coffee going. The weekend was a blast and very busy. Which is why I went back this past weekend alone. I spent some time with my grandparents, but I also spent a good chunk of time by myself. The weather was back and forth between calm and crazy. I actually watched a sheet of rain cross the lake and whitecaps crash over the dock. Luckily I was nice and cozy indoors with a woodfire burning, a cup of coffee and a puzzle to put together in front of me. Two very different weekends to begin my summer at the lake, both equally fabulous. I can't wait to spend more time there.
Maddy supervising the men as they put in the dock...
...and having a solo dance party, just like I taught her!

Dad grilling dinner on the deck

The newest piece of Elmendorf property, early morning lake as seen from our deck

My biggest accomplishments of the second weekend. Two puzzles, one I did alone and one with my grandparents. See if you can guess which one is the "adult" puzzle, needless to say we were disappointed with the lack of racy content. Is that wrong?