Maine - 2026

It was time for our yearly vacation week in Maine. I always go to Ocean Park which is part of Old Orchard but a lot quieter. I've been going there for about forty years now. I go with my family which consists of my oldest daughter Heather and her partner Mel, my son Brian and his partner Erica and my youngest daughter Erin and her husband Greg and their two kids. This year we rented a place right on the beach. It cost more but it was worth it. It had 5 bedrooms, a large living room, a dining room, a good kitchen and a great porch overlooking the ocean. It also had two bathrooms which was nice with the number of people. It was so nice to step out of the cottage and go down a short boardwalk and be right on the beach. The week started out a little cool and I forgot to bring a sweatshirt so I bought one. I only needed it for one day! Just about every day was a great day for the beach except one day that was very windy off the ocean.Toward the end of the week the weather turned very hot with temps in the upper 90's. The water was cold as usual so the first couple of days I just waded in up to my waist. Heather, Brian and Erica went in all the way every day. I just love the beach!

Sunday we decided to go the the Clambake for dinner. I decided on steamers and they we very good. We also went to Ken's place, always a favorite for all of us. I decided to get fried whole belly clam and they were delicious! I think I gained five pounds on vacation!

Every night we play Uno. It's a big competition to see who will bring home the Uno trophy. It gets pretty headed with the take four cards etc. By the end of the week I came in last as usual. Greg came in first with Erin not far behind. So Greg gets the trophy and the bragging rights this year.

We made our usual trip up to Old Orchard to the arcade. We also went to the amusement park there. My grandson loves going on the rides. He went on about five rides and Brian went on one with him. 

We all love ocean park. It hasn't changed much in the forty years I've been going there. It still has the ice cream shop which I visited a couple of time. It also still has the grocery store that has the biggest and best cinnamon rolls. We would usually go there for a coffee and roll the first thing in the morning. They probably have over 500 calories but who's counting.  v

Sing a song

 As far back as I can remember I've always been interested in singing. My first grade teacher said I sounded like a young Perry Como. I'm not sure about that. As I grew up I would sing along to records I played or music on the radio in my car. I was in the choir in my church for a while. I still have dreams about that. Once I got married and had kids, I would always sing to them. One song I clearly remember singing to my daughter was "hush little baby" as I rocked her in my chair. I like to think that I had an influence on how they all like music. They made fun of some of the songs or records I played and sang along to then but now they like the "oldies". And I like some of the music and artists they have introduced to me. 

I have sung karaoke quite a few times. I still enjoy that but there doesn't seem to be many places near me. My go to songs are Sweet Caroline and It's a wonderful world. I try a few new songs now and then too.

Fast forward to the fall of 2025. I saw something online for a choir called Rock Voices. I checked into it and saw what songs they sing. There are no auditions and you don't have to know how to read music. So I decided to give it a try. They Practice in Hadley every week which isn't too far for me. I love it! I'm a tenor. There are over one hundred people in the group. I sand in my first concert at the Academy of Music in Northampton to a sold out crowd in January of 2026. It was great! Since then I sang in another concert in the spring of 2026. I'm taking a break from it for the summer but I will be back in the fall.