New Lily

I’m Ready for Fall Running…How about you?

My happy place in Maine, where late summer running is bliss...if it weren't for the darn hills.

My happy place in Maine, where late summer running is bliss…if it weren’t for the darn hills.

I’m up north at Lovejoy Pond (it’s really a lake) in Maine for the last two weeks of summer.  Fall has come a little early to this quaint part of the country.  Waking up to the singing loons and 50 degrees is a refreshing change from the heat and humidity of Charlotte in late summer.  With the exception of the extreme hills, this is my favorite place to run.

Running in Maine is a wonderful foretaste of what is to come in the fall to North Carolina.  I, for one, am excited!  The greenway near my house will be full of runners training for the many races in various parts of the country from October – December.  Cross country runners will be lining up at high school 5K races. Many of those summer treadmill runners will hit the pavement when the air gets colder and the trees start changing. Running is contagious in autumn.

Where will you be running this fall?

Recap of the Last Few Days at Lovejoy Pond…Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

I liked Gracie’s idea of posting with pictures and since we are off to Boothbay (the coast of Maine) this afternoon…it’s the quickest way to do it!  We only have one full day left at Lovejoy Pond and we are trying to fit in as much as we can.  The weather has been gorgeous here these last few days and we have taken advantage of all there is to do. … [Read more…]

Day Five at Lovejoy Pond…A Picture Perfect Day

Hi, I am # 6 (Gracie) and I am writing today’s post about our adventures in good, clean fun at Lovejoy Pond in Maine.  Instead of telling you about our day, I will show it to you with photos since I think it was a picture perfect day!

While Peter and his dad went for a run, my mom and Annie (and Sammy kind of) did P90X Yoga to start the day…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Day Two at Lovejoy Pond…The Way Life Should Be

Peter (#4) diving off the high platform at Lovejoy Pond, Maine.

Day Two August 15, 2012. Thought for the day: “The Way Life Should Be…”

As I write this it’s the end of Day Two of the Hetzel Adventures in Good Clean Fun. I find my eyes half closing at 10:20 p.m. and, considering all that we did today, I’m surprised they don’t simply rebel against me and shut on their own for the night. We just finished playing the second round of Phase 10 and it’s still not a completed game yet. I have figured out, though, that personalities are revealed through card games and you can learn a lot about your children by playing a few games with them!

I noticed while driving into Maine on Monday that the welcome sign said, “Maine…The Way Life Should Be”. I realized that today was the way life should be as well (although the perfect day would have included our three older children too). Since I am too tired to write much, I”ll simply highlight today bullet-point style. [Read more…]

Day One at Lovejoy Pond…Keeping the Main Thing The Maine Thing

On the dock

Day One August 14, 2012 Thought of the Day…”Keep the Main thing the Maine thing.” This morning I woke up to the sound of Loons (a woeful, high-pitched, almost song-like cry) at about 6:40 a.m.  Some of the kids got up about 20 minutes later and quietly raced down to the lake where we are staying (there is a quiet hour rule in effect here from 9:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.)  We are staying in a cabin that long ago was a part of Camp Menatoma and is now owned by my brother-in-law’s family. It’s a lovely peaceful area right on the water with two docks…one for swimming and one for fishing. About 15 other cabins dot the area where we are located and everyone shares the docks, a few lodges, and a laundry outhouse. [Read more…]

The Hetzel Adventures in Good, Clean Fun

We arrived late last night at Lovejoy Pond in Readfield, Maine…the destination of our 10-day summer vacation. Maine is a long way from Charlotte, North Carolina and I had plenty of time to think on the 997 mile journey. Somewhere around mile 797, while simultaneously popping M&M’s and gulping down Diet Dr. Pepper’s, a thought occurred to me. This thought would become the impetus of an idea which grew into a sort of challenge, actually, during the next 200 miles, and which has resulted in what I am calling the Hetzel Adventures in Good, Clean Fun. The thought was this…”Hey, we haven’t listened to the radio for the entire ride”.
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