The Hustle Award

Addie emailed last night. Our field hockey playing daughter Addie, after the muddiest game ever, had just received her college's very first "Hustle Award." It was for the player with the best team spirit who played the hardest and fielded the most balls.

What's that saying, "It's not whether you win, but how you play the game." Addie's team may not have won yesterday, but we are so proud to know that she is being recognized for leading in team spirit and playing her best with all her talent and skills. To be awarded for being the hardest playing member of this team is quite an achievement.

When Addie puts her mind to something, she also puts her heart and all her energy to the task. Her Hustle Award is an inspiration for all of us. Way to go!

79,999 More To Go

One of Jenn's service projects in Thailand is to help build dams. This morning, at the local Rotary meeting, a portion of Jenn's journal about this project was read aloud, and pictures of Jenna in Thailand were passed around. From the It's a Small World! Dept, we learned that one of the Rotary's projects is to help build dams to provide clean water for people in various parts of the world, and one of our local leaders had just returned from Chiang Mai where Jenn has been working!

Jenn, I know you won't mind, so here is a portion of your journal that was read this morning:

"...today I had quite the satisfying day. Most of my class decided they wanted to head to the hot springs and get spa treatment massages (it’s all incredibly cheap here- 80 baht an hour for a massage- no kidding). I decided to jump on board with another service trip instead so I hopped on the back of a truck and headed with just a few other people (the real troopers of the group) to help build a dam with the thai international Rotary (you can tell that one to Ed, pa) who plan on building 80,000 dams all over Thailand. We started off the morning by making cement blocks out of these really old school molds. It was a real art. The sweetest old man was instructing me what to do, but I could only follow along. It was just like icing a cake… mmm cake… Anyway, after spending the morning building the blocks, we learned what they were for. We got to meet the monk who would be walking on this 12foot walkway every night under the stars just chanting a few words under his breath as he walked back and forth, back and forth for the next couple of years. He even invited us to stay over one night if we wanted, since there were only a few of us so it would be possible. I might take him up on that next weekend… we shall see. In the afternoon, we actually got to start working on the dam project, which really just involved hiking up a mountain many times with sand, cement, and rocks over and over again. It was incredibly tiring but also so worth it. I feel like I was a part of something important and making that difference I always feel so called to do. It was cool to be able to construct a dam out of water from the stream, some random bamboo sticks from the forest, and stray dirt piles. Usually when I think of service I think exclusively of helping people, but to focus on nature and the environment will also help me to appreciate what I love most even more."

Thanks, Jenn, for your good work and for making us proud!

Rest of the Week

Per Geo's request, I am updating on the rest of the vacation week. With me still recovering from pneumonia, it was pretty low key.

A Georgia O'Keefe exhibit has been featured at the Shelburne Museum, so we took that in, along with other exhibits on the grounds. What I especially appreciated were O'Keefe's representations of Lake George.

Another day found us on the road, with Lucy, to Manchester. We really didn't do any shopping, but we did enjoy the drive there and back. Geo had the opportunity to see the Bose products at the store. Am trying to convince him to get the noise-cancelling headset, but so far, he is not buying.

And another day during the week, again with Lucy in tow, we visited President Calvin Coolidge birthplace and historical sites. A delightful day. Plymouth Notch is a place with rural beauty and charm, seemingly far removed from the fast pace of our modern day. It was so relaxing to be there, especially sitting in the Adirondack chairs on the porch of one of the old buildings, just taking in the scenery. The day was overcast, but the rain held off. We took part in the cheese-tasting - I favored the cheddar smoked variety, and we bought an apple pie. We also purchased a newly republished book of Calvin Coolidge letters.

We also took time to see Little Miss Sunshine. I also read a few books, the best being Julia Alvarez's SAVING THE WORLD (two novels in one, cleverly written.)

Now if I read my last paystub correctly, I still have some "Use or Lose" vacation time. More time off before October!

Hermit Day

DAY ONE OF VACATION

I packed a box of food, a change of clothes and a stack of books into the Blubaru and headed for our Kamp on the lake. My escape from chores, phones and the usual routine.

When I am here the necessary and not-so-necessary distractions seem to peel away and peace seeps back into my soul. Our Kamp neighbor Mr. Murphy used to call this place a piece of heaven, and if heaven were not like this, he's not so sure he would want to b there. I think he was referring to the beauty and the peace.

I prepared a Thai meal (okay, Jenn, it was pre-packaged), hot tea and cookies, and I enjoyed my meal for one. I brought out my stack of books and decided to start the easy one first, the one about Grace Coolidge, wife of President "Silent Cal" Coolidge. I really liked the references to Vermont, places we've actually visited.

It was very still this evening - hardly a ripple on the water. I let myself sink into the silence to be renewed.

I do miss you guys. I'm thinking of Addie playing up a storm on the field hockey team, and Jenn somewhere in the hot springs of Thailand this weekend. Geo- you were only three phone calls away.

Peace be with you always.