It's been a while...

Well I guess it's been a while since I've updated. We really haven't done anything to the house in a while. We've mainly been trying to enjoy the summer and get out and do some things.

The "Built in 1869" sign is up now, and now the shutters, sign and roof all match.

The neighbors really appreciate that we've been sprucing up the outside of the house. A lot of them have lived in this neighborhood for a long time and they're happy to see young couples like us who really take pride in their house and keep the property looking good.

We also bought a nice patio set a few months ago, but we have yet to use it. It has nice cushions too, but I've been keeping them inside so they don't get gross.

Dave and I have taken up a new hobby this summer: kayaking. He got a kayak a few years ago, but never used it. We took a trip out to Wendell State Forest a month ago with our friends Ben, Sara, Ryan and Erin. Ben also has a kayak, so the boys brought them along. We all took turns trying them out on the pond there and we had a BBQ. It was a fun day and it got a lot of us more interested in kayaking. So Dave and I began to do some research and we ended up buying a second kayak for me. It's a Perception Carolina, a 12 footer. It's pretty nice!

We had a nice vacation up at Pine Point, Maine with my parents. Got to eat at some of our favorite places, like Pat's Pizza in Scarborough, The Corsican in Freeport, and Chaba in Scarborough. The weather was great, but sleeping in bunk beds wasn't. We brought our kayaks up to Maine and ventured out into the marsh in Scarborough.

We definitely underestimated the current in the marsh. Dave and I headed out against the current, which picks up speed around the bends so it was hard for me to control my boat at times. I'm not going to lie, I freaked out a few times. After a little while we turned around and let the current take us back to where we parked.

A few days later I took my kayak out into the ocean.

It was definitely different to have the waves and choppiness of the water, compared to the smooth water of the marsh. But I really wanted to try it. So Dave helped steady my boat and I jumped in and took off.  

I went straight out, so that I wouldn't have to contend too much with the breaking waves.

 Mom, Dad and Dave all stood on the shore and worried that I wouldn't turn around, and end up lost at sea.

But I came back! It was definitely an adventure. I'm hoping that next year I can get Dave out there with me.

Recently, we took the kayaks out into the Arcadia Wildlife Preserve and behind the Oxbow Marina. The Arcadia Wildlife Preserve is neat, there's plenty of stuff to see. There was fish, turtles, lots of dragon flies, ducks and tons of cool aquatic vegetation. The water is really shallow, and on a sunny day you can see right to the bottom.

Here's Dave, just floating around the preserve.

Then we headed out into the Oxbow Marina, where there was quite a bit more space to paddle around. But there was also plenty of speedboats to watch out for. The cool thing about the speedboats is that they create waves when they go by, so it's almost like paddling in the ocean.

We really liked that area, so this weekend we went back there with our friends Ryan and Erin. I will post pictures from that adventure soon.