The month of October is over and my last post was at the beginning of the month.
So, fasten your seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen, as we whip through the last 27 days at the Lambsons…….
First, I must mention the mid-Missouri Renaissance Fair which we attended on Saturday, October 8th. This was NOT the famous one in Bonner Springs, Kansas but the “in-famous” (more than famous) one in Hatton, Missouri. All Renaissance festivals, I am sure, had humble beginnings and one could not find a more humble fair in Hatton which was set up down a dusty gravel road in an open field also used for paintballing (although not at the same time, thankfully). There were just two food booths – one did serve the traditional turkey legs. The one magician act featured a fellow who was clearly inebriated. The three singing acts I heard at the musical stage struggled with tonality. And I believe there were just four booths for shopping – however, if one was NOT looking for medieval weaponry or chain mail, there were only two. BUT, it still beats waiting in a long line of cars for two hours to visit the local pumpkin festival. AND, it gave Noah a place to wear his new suit of armor – his reward for potty training.
Max, Steven, and Sadie at the fair
We got to see Noah again the next Saturday, October 15th, in St. Louis. His pre-school had their fall festival and Steve and I stopped in after an early morning temple session. The weather was perfect – sunny and crisp - and it was great to see Emily and family for just a few hours. Noah LOVED the bouncy house and spent most of his time inside. He did manage to carve time out for a pony ride. Lucy was adorable, of course.
Later on that day, Steve and I drove up to the St. Louis North stake center for some training meetings with General Auxiliary Presidency members: the Relief Society got to listen to Barbara Thompson, the Primary heard Rosemary Wixom, and the Young Women heard Elaine Dalton. What a wonderful opportunity to listen and learn from these sisters.
I got to visit a torture chamber in October – no, not at the Renaissance fair, not at a museum in St. Louis, but at Columbia's own University Hospital. And I was the victim! Well, it was not really a torture chamber but I had some neurological testing done that seemed pretty scary – sending shocks down my legs with a taser-like device and then sticking a pin into my muscles to register their strength. The next day, I was starved and then made to drink a disgusting liquid and then they took my blood. All this to see why I am experiencing tingling and numbness in my feet. The conclusion appears to be that I am pre-diabetic because I failed the glucose-tolerance test. Sigh. I have an appointment with my family doctor in November and will most likely visit with a dietician after that. Eating at the Lambson home just got even more complicated.
October was a BUSY month for the string quartet. Whooeee, there was a gig every weekend. I didn’t play in all of them but I still had to coordinate them and arrange a silly song by the Flaming Lips (!?!??!!!) for one of them.
Saving the best for last – Steve and I got to fly to Maine for five days to visit Sarah and to see the beauties of Maine in autumn splendor. We were able to sample some of the outdoor glories of the area as well as the quaint towns and shops. Because we flew into Manchester, New Hampshire, we were very near to Pawtuckaway State Park where Sarah worked last summer so we took a small explore around before driving up to Camden.
Here is where Sarah pitched her tent at Pawtuckaway.
We enjoyed Acadia National Park one day,
Sarah looking westward on top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia.
We drove up to Mount Battie just outside Camden another day,
Here we are on top of Battie
and walked around Birch Point State Park on another day.
Steve and Sarah exploring the rocky beach at
Birch Point
We walked the almost full mile of breakwater out to a lighthouse.
Whaaaat happened to Steve? I tried twice
to upload this photo and both times it
came out looking like this. Very Picasso-ish,
I think. It is Steve at the breakwater.
Lots of beautiful rocky beaches.
Lots of pines and firs and spruces among the beautifully colored hardwood trees. We shopped in the towns of Rockport, Camden, and Bar Harbor. Lots of tourists from cruise ships parked in the harbor. We visited the Camden farmer’s market
Steve at the market....
where I bought a jar of pickled fiddle heads !?! Guests for Thanksgiving dinner this year will get to sample them. Sarah took us on a tour of Merryspring Nature Center where she has been working all year.
Sarah at Merryspring
And, we got to attend the Rockland branch on Sunday and hear Sarah give a talk and meet all the wonderful people who have been so good to her all year.
This is Sarah with Kathy, her landlady.
They are standing in Kathy's breakfast nook. Kathy's
house is over a hundred years old and full of antiques.
Sarah has posted many more beautiful photos from our time together on her blog. Check it out...
One last photo of Camden's famous "oreo" cows
