Last Sunday we went to the Salt Bay Preserve. We ran, we sang on the hills, and we enjoyed the blessing of nature. We also took pictures of some beautiful things. This is the beauty of Fall in Maine. I am not certain who took this picture of me because we brought all our pictures together, but I really like this one. If I knew who I would give them credit. For now it is Anonymous. It captures the moment in which the following pictures were taken. It brings it into context.

Staff Developement

Their Staff Development...
...Our Staff Development!!!
Malory Flying with the greatest of ease, although she is not currently on the trapeze.

Doesn't Oliver look pretty Spiffy climbing the Target Jump in his board room apparel. Sigrid was so excited to belay someone in such formal attire that she had to make this a Kodak moment. Rest assure he and his formal attire made it back to the ground safely after taking a large leap of faith.

Here I go to make that leap of faith as well. I didn't know I was being pictured, but I am so glad that this epic moment in my formal attire has been recorded. Thanks Oliver!
Sometimes we even have out meditative moments in our trainings. Here Tyler was candidly caught in a highly meditative moment.
Elise can scale a wall with the skill and speed of a monkey...

... she is stealth like a Puma...

... She can even scale the skies like spider man. Not to mention she makes the best chocolate concoctions. We are sure lucky to have such an A-mazing friend here at Kieve.

We sure have it tough here at Kieve. Overworked, underpaid, and unappreciated. Wouldn't you agree? (I LOVE MY JOB!)

My first week in the driver's seat at Kieve

"The work is never done, you have to laugh and have fun while you do the work." I believe this 101%. I have come to realize that I could never get it ALL done. I have Meagan a wheel barrow ride down a hill layden with rocks. It was so much more fun that just trotting down the hill at my regular pace to go pick up yet another load of leaves. Meagan I just want to thank you for helping me stop and smell the roses and for helping me take the road less trodden. It was stink'n fun!!!

Well, look how buff we are to be able to lift a WHOLE WHEEL BARROW of leaves. It is almost as epic as lifting a whole wheel barrow of feathers.

This would be the proper leaf raking stance. It is a difficult one to demonstrate, so please don't ask me to do it again. I am not sure that I can do it with such perfection as I have a this very moment in time.

This would be the proper position for playing the rake. Yes, believe it or not Kelly is an expert leaf rake player. She will be here at Kieve all Season. We can hardly believe we are so lucky to have her.

Temple Trip

Today we were finally able to make to the Boston Temple. It was so peaceful! I would have loved to of seen more of Boston, but somehow I felt filled having been to the most important place in the Boston are. There are many questions on my mind at this time. Whether I will return to Maine in Feb. or not is a big one I need to decide quickly. It was nice to take a moment and just breath. Not to mention all the other new things that I learn while I am there, each time something new. My body is still giving me fits a little now and again, but I showed it who is boss and played a nice fun game of wiffle ball at a harvest fest hosted by our co-worker Summer. We used pumpkins as bases. I almost took out one of her windows, but she was an excellent sport about it.

Today was a day filled with opposite and opposing feelings. Today I felt the joy of helping the children I work with come to some powerful and poignant realities about their goals in life. It felt so good to do so, to be a part of leading them on this journey to who they want to become and the happiness they want to achieve in their lives. Their eyes are filled with such hope and their faces are filled with an expression of innocence from the intense challenges ahead in the world. I love where I am at, at this moment.
In sharp contrast from the joy I feel with those I serve and teach, there are deep pangs which hurt my heart. It is not important to say exactly why or what. That is not necessarily something I wish to discuss. There are times in your life that you have to do things that you really didn't want to or plan to, but had to be done none the less. I don't know that I have ever felt this burning I feel, with dry tears, as I have surrender myself to the friends list. I suppose if one cares about a friend enough, then I suppose they must do what is necessary to continue to be a friend.

A bell is not a bell until you ring it.
A song is not a song until you sing it.
Love wasn't put in our hearts to stay.
Love isn't love until you give it away.

Sometimes the best road is the lonely one.
I wish it were not so, but "Que sera sera. What ever will be will be. The future is not our to see. Que Sera Sera."

Previous to this moment I have used this blog as only a place for a photo Journal, but I think that I may use it as a journal for my thoughts as well. I have noticed that many people use it as a place to say something that somebody in the world might possibly hear. Somehow that is a enough! It is amazing what a listening ear can do, even if it is just a computer screen. I don't plan to have any kind of serious relationship with my Toshiba laptop, but once in a while it seems there is no one who you can really tell how you are feeling and so into the abyss of the electronic super highway my feelings and thoughts will go.

Pumpkin Fest 2009

In downtown Damariscotta on the second weekend in October the streets are lined with tourists. They come from far and wide to escape the presures of city life, see extremely large pumpkins carved with phenominal pictures of Lobster and Fish and to see small pumpkins launched into the ocean. It is quite the celebration. This artist was still hard at work on his pumpkin carving masterpiece. Whoa!!! Tell ya what, Whoa!!! He was pretty intense.

Elise is an excellent photographer and we had a fabulous time running all over time taking photos. Isn't she so cute and looking quite nautical.

We stopped by the Fundraiser for the Legendary Alewive fish of the Damariscotta lake. This fund helps suppor the beautiful river ladder that allows the fish to swim back up stream from the ocean into Lake Damariscotta. Kind of like Salmon do! In Short the lunch was $5 and the chille and Pumpkin Curry soups were A-mazing!!! They even had a gluten free cookie! That pretty much made my morning!

This is THE Pumpkin launcher. They described it as a potato launcher on staroids. It is pretty huge. I wouldn't know because I have never launched a potatoe. However, I knew it was pretty intense when everyone started to cover their ears as the launch was about to begin. It was amazing to see the pumkin go up and over a low lying cloud and go so far that it could not be seen, but its large splash could. What a fun and interesting tradition!!!