The Maine event

Sorry it has been a while since I wrote. Last Friday, Corin's uncle Bill passed away after a long battle with cancer. So on Sunday, Corin and I traveled to Maine for the wake and the funeral. While I only had the pleasure of being around Bill twice (once at my wedding and another time when he was in town for a conference), I have heard many a story and know he was lovable and loved. Bill was Corin's godfather, and Corin has had the honor of being godfather to Bill's delightful daughter, Barbara. Barbara once came to stay with us when she was on her way to study abroad in New Zealand when she was 16 or so. She was lovely and intelligent then, and she has grown into a beautiful and talented young woman. She delivered the most moving eulogy at her father's funeral that I have ever heard. (The priest also said it was the most beautiful eulogy he had heard in 22 years of performing funerals.) As a parent, I can only pray that my children will have such wonderful things to say about me when I'm gone. I wish I had a copy of it so I could share it with you, but I'll have to just settle for saying it was quite a tribute.

After the funeral services, Corin and I had a relaxing afternoon driving around coastal Maine and taking in the sights before we drove back to Boston to fly home the next morning. We walked along some really scenic beaches and ate lobster on the shore while the waves lapped over the rocks ten feet from our table. I did not have my camera because the occasion for the trip was not happy and it never occured to me to take a camera. However, it did occur to me that I didn't know when I might make it back to this beautiful part of the country, so the least I could do was capture some of it on my camera phone. The quality of the photos is not ideal, but you'll get the idea.

The harbor at an old civil war fort that we visited near Kittery, Maine.

The bird that sat at our table and begged for bread the entire time we were eating. This photo was taken from my seat at the dinner table at the restaurant.

The view from the bench where Corin and I sat for 20 minutes just talking and watching the waves break over that cluster of rocks in the bottom left corner. Very relaxing... If I had had my real camera with me, you'd be able to make out that sailboat in the center of the frame a little better.