I've come home to Maine for a quick visit before we sail back to Benin, and I was met with quite a warm (as in cold) welcome. We Maine folks experienced a record low at -25 F a few days ago, and we all threw on our long underwear and an extra pair of socks if we even thought we might have to walk past a window...no seriously, it's really that cold. We went out for a walk on one of the coldest days, and as I blinked my eyes, I realized that my breath had been projected upward by my scarf, and my eyelashes had frozen into little icicles. A new phenomenon, for sure. Despite the cold, I relish the beauty, stillness, and newness of this remote world covered in snow and deprived of heat, and I go out for walks/cross-country ski trips to soak it all in. Tonight we had fresh snowfall, and I headed out just after dark with my ski goggles, headlamp, and some music to travel across our lake. It's strange to be gone away (in a rather tropical environment) during the freezing process, and then to come home and just trust that sheet below me with my life, instead of watching the process slowly occur, until I know it's ready for me.
My Maine visit was made nearly complete on Saturday, by taking a handgun safety course. I'm not really sure exactly why I was taking it, because the "everyone's doing it" logic seems rather ridiculous for such a subject, but that really was my reasoning. My mom and sisters took the class, along with some other women, and one, token man, so that someone's eyes could light up when a 44 was mentioned (for those of you who don't know guns, that's a big one with mucho power). Most of us were more concerned about what we had baked to snack on than which gun we would get to shoot, but it was a good day, which got much better (and much more hick-ish) when we actually did our shooting practice from inside our teacher's bedroom, through the window, to our target in their yard. It topped my list of hick experiences and kept us out of the cold. I'm no great shot, so don't worry.
Tomorrow I will hit the slopes on the fresh powder that fell today, and continue to enjoy my family's company. I could almost say I wished it was always winter, but I suppose I'd risk being called the white witch.
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3 comments:
Wow! You certainly put me in my place :-) So nice to hear that you're having fun with your family and that your time is going well. Thanks for the post;
So glad you are enjoying your time at home!! Makes me laugh to think of you shooting a gun out of a window. Warmth and comfort first...then safety =). You are a really good writer... Hope to talk to you sometime soon. Perhaps when you arive back to the ship. Know I am thinking about you.
Oh Nicole; you're so modest! Or at least complimentary. I do declare that I have seen some marked proficiency from the writing skills and thought it should be pointed out. It's so nice to hear your 'voice' here and hope you and Naomi get to reconnect soon! Who knows where she is these days? :-)
Nice to hear from you and hope you're doing well and following your passions. Hope you get this!
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