Delights: September 27 to October 3

September 27: Karolina, Susan and I donned our bathing suits, tossed windbreakers and beach chairs into the back seat of the car, and packed an ample picnic lunch: pretzels, grapes, carrots and turkey-and-provolone sandwiches with garnishes of cucumber slices and red pepper rings. Karolina asked me, “Should we label our sandwich boxes?” I brushed aside the suggestion. “Nah. The lid of my sandwich box has a nicked corner. Easy to spot!”

Two hours later, I scowled at my nearly half-eaten sandwich: “Why is this sandwich so skinny? Where are the cucumber slices?” A tiny idea worked through my pouting brain, and I peeked at the other sandwich boxes in the cooler. Uh oh. 

I glanced at Susan, who smiled serenely at me. “Er, Susan, here’s your lunch.” I handed Susan the cucumber-free sandwich with a half-dozen toothy circles cut in it. Incredulous, Susan looked at her mangled lunch, then at me. I hastily offered Susan compensatory pretzels.

Karolina looked at both of us. “Oh, Carol Ann,” she cautioned me, “You will need to do Susan’s bidding for the rest of the day.” We all laughed. And an hour later, we laughed again. But after we returned home, all showered and fresh, did I hear Susan say something about needing a massage . . .?

September 28:  In case you didn’t know it, today — September 28 — is National Sisters-in-Law Day. Or so declared Susan, Karolina and I as we slurped Oysters Rockefeller and sipped a Pumpkin Pie Spice Martini as dessert. 

Our celebration didn’t end with dessert cocktails. We completed a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle while nibbling Karolina’s scrumptious charcuterie board. We groaned and laughed as we played Aggravation Rummy past midnight. We nibbled on a deeply chocolate torte as consolation after a crushing hand. Two of us, earlier in the day, stood in the surf for hours, gazing out to the horizon and laughing when we took a tumble. 

National Sisters-in-Law Day was such as success that we declared it a full weekend. Where will we celebrate next year?

September 30: Yesterday: Assateague National Seashore in Maryland with my sisters-in-law. Tomorrow: Acadia National Park in Maine with Kevin. Tonight: a sleeping stop in Mystic, Connecticut. In between: 720 miles of podcasts, conversation and anticipation.

October 1: Our Tesla led us in a round-about way to a Portland, Maine, grocery store — instead of a convenient (if boring) interstate rest stop — to recharge our battery. A grocery store? We wanted lunch (and bathrooms). We did indeed get lunch (etc.) — and a taste of Portland too.

While in the grocery store, I perused a bulletin board announcing two mindfulness workshops, a fixing-broken-things meet-up, a mental health awareness fun run, and a hub for public service organizations seeking volunteers. I wandered the produce aisle among people speaking many languages. In the parking lot, I beheld a surprising water view (well done, Tesla!) and a lady depositing sacks of glass bottles at a bottle redemption center. Thank you, Portland, for such an inspiring Maine welcome!

Bonus: Speaking of bottle redemption centers, during last week’s Anacostia trash cleanup, the Anacostia Riverkeeper (a.k.a. Nate’s former roommate Trey Sherard) reminded us that plastic bags had once comprised 50% (in weight) of the trash hauled from the river; thanks to a 2010 DC law charging nickels for store-supplied plastic bags, we found none that day. The next frontier, he said, is a bottle deposit law. Perhaps DC, Virginia and Maryland will join Iowa, Maine, and eight other states on that frontier. Churches, fire departments and schools in those states have found that collecting and redeeming bottles for their deposits is a great fundraiser. As someone who grabs plastic bottle litter in my own neighborhood, I consider it an important environmental pick-me-up too.

Double Bonus: I just sent an email to my legislators supporting a beverage container bill in Virginia. For Virginia residents, here’s a link — Virginia bottle bill — if you want to do the same thing. For citizens of other states, your petitions are just a click away!

October 2: Last night, I was extremely pokey as Kevin and I prepared to go out for dinner from our ocean-side room at the Seawall Motel. We had decided to visit “Charlotte’s Legendary Lobster Pound,” a red and white outdoor dining mashup of picnic tables, roaring fireplace, food truck, and trolly. Arriving ten minutes before closing, we hoped to (quickly) savor a bit of Maine’s famous lobster. We didn’t expect, as the last customers, to be invited to Charlotte’s birthday party.

Yet there we were, taking photos of Charlotte with her mother, meeting her family, eating her birthday cake, and hearing one of the reasons “Charlotte’s” is legendary. We learned that Charlotte, tired of plopping squirming (sentient) lobsters into the scalding cook pot, decided to sedate her lobsters first — with cannabis. Newspapers around the world picked up the story. For about two weeks in 2018, Charlotte was famous in England, Ireland, Scotland and many other places.  Eventually, Charlotte switched to FDA-approved valerian root. “It’s really stinky. The lobsters love it.” 

We left with hugs, more birthday cake, and promises to come back again next year. 

October 3: Flying Mountain Trail in Maine’s Acadia National Park promised rocky scrambles and spectacular vistas of waterways and crashing waves. It promised exercise, fellowship, history and adventure. Serenity too — had I packed my hiking boots instead of my rainy-day duck boots. Sigh.

With my blessing and encouragement, Kevin hiked to the summit. Meanwhile, I found a seat on the pine-trimmed edge of Fernald Cove, which pushed a finger practically to my feet. My perch gave me a sailboat returning to dock, the lulling murmur of water brushing the beach, a bit of breeze and bit of sun, and a man calling to his workmate in what I imagine is the famous Maine accent. And, oh yes,  it gave me serenity too. 

Readers, to receive notifications by email each time I make a post, just scroll all the way down this page (next to the “word cloud”), look to the left and click on the black button that says “Join Me!” And if you think a friend might enjoy these, please share the Delight!

If you’d like to browse my past delights, please consult the “word cloud” featured at the very bottom of this post. Find a theme or two that interests you and sift through the sands. Or learn a bit more about my Blog by visiting my Welcome page. You’ll also see links to four essays that were published in print magazines. I’m glad you’re here!