Then There Were Two...

I was playing around on the computer this morning as I waited for the rain to stop and quite unintentionally I opened up my blog site. I couldn't believe that it had been four months since I posted a blog. Then I looked at my last post. May 18th was such a great day; such hope and joy. I can still hear Elizabeth's voice on the phone as we made plans to get together at the camp in Maine this summer. A few weeks later the word 'metastasize' would turn our worlds inside out and upside down. I was at the camp in Maine in August when I got the call that Elizabeth had passed away. As the sun rose over the lake that morning there was such a beautiful, rolling fog lifting off of the water. It felt like being wrapped in a blanket of silence and peacefulness. I remember thinking that Elizabeth did make it to camp that morning - it just wasn't the way we originally planned.

When I was a kid I hated subtraction. As an adult I still don't like it very much. This picture was taken about a year ago. Four sisters. Minus two...

WE HAVE OUR OWN LANCE ARMSTRONG

I just got off the phone with my sister Elizabeth who has gone through several months of intensive chemotherapy for a very aggressive and rare type of pancreatic cancer. Today her scan results showed that she is 'cancer free'. That tumor hit the road jack - not feeling the love in her body - it's gone; kaput, out of here. To me, who has seen her determination, her strength, her focus on doing anything necessary to fight this C word, she is my hero, my Lance Armstrong. I just want to share with the blog world that HOPE is such a great word!

The picture I have attached is of Elizabeth and I at a recent Stowe, VT Weekend of Hope event that is held every year for cancer survivors. For anyone who knows someone currently dealing with cancer or having survived cancer we highly recommend that they check out www.stowehope.com as this yearly weekend event was one of the most moving, life-altering experiences that we have ever had.

And... thanks for the help Barb. We miss you!

LONGING FOR SUMMER

This is where I want to be today. I took this shot on the Isle of Shoals off of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

THIS ONE IS FOR THE BIRDERS

As I was out taking pictures after the storm today, I spotted dozens of Common Mergansers who had stopped at our nearby pond to gather during the storm. They'll be off in a few days heading for the spring/summer migration destination. The male (the one with white on the sides) is almost as big as a loon and it's silouette is very loon like. There appears to be four males with about a dozen females. Not bad odds!

APRIL SHOWERS?

Maine has a different definition of April showers. Here are a few shots I took this morning at #1 Pond in my town. (yes, it really is called #1 pond - we like to keep it simply here in Maine) he.he.he.

WHEN MAMA AIN'T HAPPY!

Remember that old saying? When mama ain't happy, ain't nobody gonna be happy! Well, I ain't happy. I had put away the shovels and had the gardening tools all lined up for the weekend. This is what I woke up to...

MT WASHINGTON

This one is for Lisa who requested pictures of New Hampshire. This is taken from the cross country ski trails at Bretton Woods. Ok - so now I'm ready for green grass and flowers!