We had a great time again this year. Frenchboro had it's 2nd annual parade and cookout, followed by games and boat races. It was a beautiful day, too.

Here is our float:

Somehow, it's always camo....

All the floats were great this year, some patriotic, some just plain fun, and a couple not- so- politically- correct but Very Funny!

Michele, Mario, Patrice and Meathead (we needed a new nickname for 'little Mario', as he is now 13, and almost the size of his Father. This week, he was dubbed "Meathead"), all left on Saturday morning.

We stole Natalia.

We'll bring her down with us in a few more days.

The kids are having a blast.We've been down to the Store for the last 2 days, and the kids have been swimming at the head of the Cove. I think they like to play on the flats at low tide better; that water is COLD!!!!

I was once shamed into swimming with a bunch of teenagers at Eastern Beach. Like, out over my head real swimming, not walking in to your knees kind of thing.

These kids were all psyching themselves up for a dip, and asked me to come. We were at a barbecue, and I sort of blew them off because I had nothing to change into, didn't want to sit around in heavy wet clothes, and they called me old.

"Oh, we didn't realize you were one of the old folks, we forgot."

Being on the low side of 30, I was pissed. Looking back, I should have been flattered they even thought me 'not old' for even a minute!

And off I went. Barreled right in with them.

I've never felt anything like it. It hurt. Even when I got out, it hurt. Do you know, I can still remember how that felt?!? (unlike childbirth, that memory didn't fade!)

It took every ounce of determination I possess to wade out deeper and deeper into that water. Now I wonder what else I can accomplish, if I could make myself withstand that!

And even now, I can recall Joseph walking past me in the water as if he were on a street, and diving head first into a wave. That kid went under. I think he was 9 years old.

He should have brain damage.

Actually, we played a lot of card games together this winter; I think we both suffered some damage, judging from our performance!

So, we had a good visit with Michele and Mario and the kids. We:

ate lots of crabs and lobsters,

ran out of milk, bread, eggs, and toilet paper,

Mario stuffed the truck in a ditch as soon as they got here,

We had 5 days of fog the 7 days they were here,

Mario can bbq (as opposed to the Big Guy, who thinks he can, but can't), so we had some kickass chicken on the grill, and a shrimp veggie dish that was so good, I can't wait to do it again,

Michele helped The Big Guy replace my single- bowl kitchen sink with a double ( I am trying to get used to it. I hate it.) while I was at work (traumatizing experience for me,what with the OCD and somebody playing in my kitchen...in my cabinets...), and they almost had it all back together and cleaned up when I got home. She took care of all the mess while I sat in the corner and sucked my thumb (It was too early to start drinking).

I spent a lot of time on Natalia's top, and finally finished it Saturday morning, after those guys cleared out. They left at 7am, so the kids and I plopped on the couch and watched Don Knotts in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. They loved it! Thing One is a huge Andy Griffin Show fan (thanks to Netflix), and she thought Don Knotts was hysterical in this.

It is a great movie; if you haven't seen it, you must! Gotta love that all the women wore hats and gloves in public, as opposed to now, when young girls don't know what underwear is for.

I am viscerally opposed to thongs, and the day I catch my kid in one is the day I set her out on the doorstep wearing nothing but.

So, here is the finished top...

That was a lot of edging!

I've had these buttons for eons. I can't even remember where they came from, or where I thought I'd use them. I actually thought they were kind of ugly, in the package. Twelve buttons, in 3 different sizes and 4 colors. Really not cool.

But they are perfect on this top! They are just- ever-so-slightly glittery, which 11 going on 16 loves.

I had to threaten her with something awful that I will not divulge, to get her to pose for a pic. She was appropriately grossed out.

This is the best picture I could get.

Look, there's the evil sink. Did I mention that he had to take out those 2 small drawers on either side of the sink in order to fit it? Now my dishcloths have no place to live, nor do my giant Sam's size bottles of spices. I am bereft. And they are homeless.