Luckily, I am having a white sand Christmas.
I have, so far, read ‘Gone, Baby, Gone’ and ‘The Last Town on Earth’, a lovely book about a town that quarantined itself during the flu outbreak in 1918. I am (re)starting Anna Karenina, and then I will head towards another pile of serial killer novels. Lots of books.
Hope everyone is having a somewhat calm holiday.
The weather here has been lovely and, other than today, not too hot. The water, too, has been 70 F every day for a week. I know this cannot really be good, but it’s so pleasant and lovely, I can (and do) spend hours in the water — there’s not even a first shock of cold. Also because I have heat rash on my hands and feet, and it feels much better when bathed in cool water. Normally I would take a day off, but there aren’t many days left. I do look rather deformed, and of course I’ve just finished a book on Hansen’s disease (leprosy), so I keep poking at patches of red thinking I’m infected.
Oddly, the river is colder than the ocean, something that I thought was my imagination, but after a few days of many people noticing it I’ve decided is actually a real phenomenon. It doesn’t stop me from floating down it.
I don’t much like lakes, and pools I can generally take or leave, but the ocean — I love the ocean. If I weren’t having weird creepy dreams from the Benadryl I’m taking for the itchy and the prickly, things would be perfect.
What with the strong Canadian dollar, I hear more French here than English, by a long shot. It’s just like being home, only on the ocean and with crappy stolen wireless.
The water today was 66. If only the waves hadn’t been atrocious. I’m hoping for at least that warm (balmy! unbelievable!) tomorrow. Veer west, gulf stream, veer west. Or just stay where you are — 66 means the water is perfect.
I am reading a lot, too, though nothing I have been particularly enamoured of.
In just a few days I am leaving for Maine. I have been thinking that I ought to start packing. Or maybe just make a list of what I need to pack. Or something. I mean, I can’t pack at the last minute this time, I’ll be *reading*. But I had PMS and bad mood and sloth, lots of sloth. By had, of course, I mean still have. It’s not desperate yet, no need to pack for a while longer, right?
I am indeed that lazy. It takes less than an hour to pack. Then again, why rush it? I keep thinking, look, just start packing the *books*, you have other books you’re not planning on bringing.
Anyways, New Englandy people, I will be in Southern Maine from the 21st to the 4th. Anyone around? I will be mobile, and might even get down to Boston.
After having dinner, my father and I were walking to the car (so I could go to the bookstore and fill up on my passion for blank books and logic puzzles), and we came to an intersection. The light was against us, but cars were only coming in one direction, so we walked halfway through the street and waited, like any normal person would. Either traffic would lighten up or the light would change, whatever. But then, as we’re waiting, one of the cars driving through just . . . stops. All the way at the other side of the intersection. There was no traffic or anything, and her flicker wasn’t on to turn. We had no clue what she was doing.
As it turns out, she was stopping to let us cross.
I finally made it to Boston. And it was a good day to go, as it poured all day here. It poured only a little there, and since it looked like rain was imminent all the time, I was never far from cover.
I got to meet him again, and found out that he lives in Boston, which was why he was there. In my head — and I do not know why — he was elsewhere, possibly Pennsylvania. I also met her, though somehow I did not recognise that the woman standing next to me, with a small boy in a TtFTE t-shirt, a Red Sox hat and carting around a stuffed puppy and with an even smaller girl carrying around Thomas himself was indeed the person I was trying to meet. Observant? You bet. And I met her, and I had no weird misconceptions about where she lived, and I didn’t need to recognise her because Phantom did, and she very kindly went into touristy shops and listened to my babbling and didn’t laugh when I jumped out of my seat everytime the foghorns blared. All in all, it was a lovely day, with great company.
On the way back, some woman carrying around a toddler came up to me in the parking lot, in tears. She was lost, she needed to get to Maine, she’d been lost for hours and couldn’t find anyone to ask. I started to point her to the signs on the highway (not 30 seconds away — visible, in fact, from where she was standing), then said that I was heading up that way as well (though she was going somewhat further north) and that she could just follow me and I would get her to the highway. And she did, and I watched for her until she was in Maine. I hope she found her way there.
Today I spent all but 15 minutes hiding in the shade. Unfortunately, I still am all heatrashy. Tomorrow is a good day to take out of the sun.
Those fifteen minutes were spent, of course, in the water. The waves were huge and wonderful, and the sign said the water was 59, and who could resist that? But the sign lied, because the water was glacial, and every time I was hit by a wave it took my breath away with the cold. But once I got used to it — once my lower body went past pain to numbness — it was lovely, and I dove into the waves that were much taller than I am. The gasping for air after I surfaced was worth it for the feel of the cold salt water.
It would have been an ideal day if I hadn’t suddenly developed a canker sore — I haven’t had those in years and years, probably since before puberty. And if someone at some point had mentioned that I was turning red and should reapply the suntan lotion, because I am pinker than I would like.
But the water was more than balmy today — 60! Positively warm! Low tide was late, almost 5, so the beach was big all day. I spent a fair amount of time in the water. I love the ocean, it’s my favourite type of body of water. What’s the point of water when it’s not moving? I am not doing much but being on the beach, but it is okay. And good, too, because for the first time in a long time I have not imagined drowning. (This is a less happy note to end on than I would like.)
I am still planning on heading to Boston Tuesday and trying to get in touch with people to meet, which will be fun.
Today was a perfect day. It was sunny, but not too sunny, and the water was incredibly warm.[1] Even better — low tide was around 2:30 today, so the beach is big all day, and we could float down the river. We went to the river a little late, so the current barely flowed, and mostly we stayed in the same place. But that too is nice, though tomorrow’s timing will be even better (and with luck the water will stay warm). And tonight it’s more walking around in cute seaside towns, one which has delicious goat cheese truffles (which, yes, sound gross, but are so incredibly delicious).
I am really happy here.
[1] By warm I guess it was about 58F. Warm! Balmy!
I am planning to go to Boston, probably Monday July 9 or Tues the 10. I know there are local readers there (I can think of three). Anyone want to meet up? If you don’t want to admit your location in blog, you can email me at wolfangel AT gmail. (I may or may not get the courage to email about it.) I will also be in the S ME area, near Wells ME/Portsmouth NH. (This is about a 2h drive from Boston.)
I’d love to meet bloggy people, should anyone be in the area around the right time. Let me know.
I am also happy to meet anyone who is visiting my lovely city.