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Today was our first "Family Day" of the season . . . and mine and David's first full day off since we opened April 3oth.

We've been practicing Family Day since Alex was about 5 years old.  Once Fourth of July weekend comes and goes  . . . all the staff is properly trained . . . and (knocking on wood here) if there's no major emergencies, we take a full day off every week until Labor Day.   Not many campground owners choose to do that . . . it's a very, very short season after all.  But we've always felt strongly about giving the kids uninterrupted family time - away from the business distractions and fourteen hour workdays. 

Today, we decided to visit one of our very favorite places, the Portland Headlight in Fort Williams Park.  There's so much room to explore here with wide open fields made just for playing catch or flying a kite.  Views of the ocean that can quickly calm your soul





and a hiking path leading along the rocky coastline



right to the Portland Headlight - the most photographed lighthouse in Maine





you can take tours of the Lighthouse for a fee . . .  check out the abandoned fort on the other side of the park or stick your feet in the ocean.

But this time, we were content to just wander around the park as a family and soak up the sights



 



Even though Alex had the work the morning shift, she scooted down to meet us at Fort Williams.  After that, we all went out for a quick ferry ride around Portland Harbor and then to dinner after that. 

It sounds sappy, I know, I but I love it when we can all meet up for a Family Day!   With Alex getting ready to spread her wings, they're going to be fewer and fewer I know. 

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This past Monday was sooooo hot and humid, Dave and I knew we had to be ON the water.  So we went to Portland and took the 3 hour mailboat cruise around Casco Bay









and afterward, it was dinner here, on the Floating Restaurant



Followed by a spectacular sunset over the Promenade



I'm still missing my kids . . . but we  managed to have a nice Monday anyway! 

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Besides working 15 hour days and spending a couple hours a week helping Maxwell Moose post our theme weekend highlights, I've also been playing dress up every weekend  




and spending our weekly Family Days at really cool places like

Old Orchard Beach



where B dug holes up to his arm pits and rode the waves on his boogie board for hours. 

We climbed to the top of Rattlesnake Mountain two weeks ago.

 



It was a nice hike with an early upward climb and fabulous views!   AND it was practically in our backyard!  Just a 10 - 15 minute drive. 

I'm so embarrassed we never found it before.

Today we drove to Mt. Battie in Camden.  A little further away . . .  but well worth the trip.  The boys wanted to hike up, but I wasn't feeling myself - a little burnt out perhaps - or the beginnings of a cold.  Either way, we all decided to drive to the top instead.







The view instantly calmed me.  I could have sat their for hours and hours, watching the teeny, tiny boats gliding in and out of the harbors.  My imagination worked overtime, trying create stories for the people manning them . . . where were they going?  What were they thinking?  

I've gotten a little bit of gardening in too. 



I found a little snail, which was a first for me!  The hummingbirds are back, as are the hummingbird moths.   Even with all the rains of June and July, my gardens are flourishing.  Tomatoes are finally turning red and my cucumbers are sooooo yummy!   I'm even going to have peppers this year!

I'm not trying to wish away the rest of the summer, but I'm looking forward to a quieter pace so I can rethink some writing things.  There's lots and lots on my writing mind these days . . .

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B's at boyscout camp . . . A was working the morning shift at the camp . . .

so Dave and I had to take a Monday Family Day to ourselves.

It was weird . . .



but we managed to make the best of it.

We'd kicked around the Old Port for a bit, when we spied a kiosk for  Maine Sailing Adventures. and jumped on board.  They had a real working sailboat, no motor.  They even put the kids to work, raising the sails.



   

 

The sun was shining, the sails were creaking and crackling, the water was splashing . . .

the day was glorious.

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CHICANO/LATINO LITERARY PRIZE ANTHOLOGY
The Chicano / Latino Literary Prize:
An Anthology of Prize-Winning Fiction, Poetry and Drama
Stephanie Fetta, editor
Arte Público Press, May, 2008

Arte Público has announced the upcoming publication of an anthology based on the first twenty-five years of the Chicano/Latino Literary Prize from the University of California, Irvine.

From the first winner, Ron Arias' short story The Wetback in 1974, through almost all the winners, several second- and third-place winners as well as honorable mentions, the collection has 320 pages of fiction, poetry, and drama covering a key period in the development and expansion of what has become known as Latino Literature.

Now entering its thirty-fourth year, the award has recognized a wide variety of writers. Many of the names are familiar to La Bloga's readers: Juan Felipe Herrera, Michael Nava, Helena María Viramontes, Lucha Corpi, Demetria Martínez, Gary Soto, Cherrie Moraga, Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Graciela Limón and, as the press publicity says, several "pieces in this anthology are considered to be foundational texts of Chicana/o and Latina/o literature, and those that are not as widely recognized deserve more serious study and attention."

Stephanie Fetta is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of California, Irvine. She has taught in the Chicano Studies, Women’s Studies, and Spanish and Portuguese departments at UC-Irvine and studied at Bryn Mawr College, Stanford, and Cornell. She is the translator of a book-length study by Spanish Anthropologist Francisco Checa entitled Spain and Its Immigrants: Images and Stereotypes of Social Exclusion and has published several articles in the United States and abroad. She lives in Southern California.

MORE NEW STUFF FROM ARTE PÚBLICO
(Text from Arte Público)
The Case Runner
Carlos Cisneros
March, 2008

Alejandro “Alex” del Fuerte, fresh out of law school, is returning home to South Texas, ready to open his solo practice, humble as it may be. He’s got dreams of making his mark in the world and in the courtroom. But when he meets Porfirio “Pilo” Medina, who just crossed the border in search of his wife and son, Alex is suddenly dragged into a world of wrongdoings and political pay-offs rarely covered in law school.

Rampant corruption and big-money politics are set against the rich backdrop of border culture, with its distinctive way of life and unique perspective. And Alex, something between saint and sinner, is an apt guide to both the light and dark sides of the region. This is Cisneros' first novel.

Tomás Rivera: The Complete Works
Edited by Julián Olivares
March, 2008
trade paperback

Julián Olivares brings together the late author’s entire literary production: Rivera’s classic novel, ... y no se lo tragó la tierra, translated by poet Evangelina Vigil-Piñón; his short fiction collection, The Harvest / La cosecha; and his poetry collection, The Searchers: Collected Poetry. In addition to his creative work, this volume collects Rivera’s influential critical essays, including Into the Labyrinth: The Chicano in Literature, Chicano Literature: Fiesta of the Living, The Great Plains as Refuge in Chicano Literature, and the previously unpublished Critical Approaches to Chicano Literature and its Dynamic Intimacy.

Under the Bridge: Stories from the Border
Rosario Sanmiguel, translation by John Pluecker
March, 2008

Mexican writer Rosario Sanmiguel crafts intriguing narratives about solitary women in search of their place, caught between the past and the present. Set in the border region, this collection follows these women—some from privileged backgrounds and others from more desperate circumstances—through seedy bars, hotel rooms, and city streets. A woman who has escaped the night life, dancing on platforms in front of thousands of eyes; Francis, who finally finds the strength to leave her married lover; young Fátima, whose mother abandons her, leaving her to take her place as a maid in a wealthy El Paso family’s mansion; Nicole, who has risen from dismal poverty to become an accomplished immigration attorney.

Originally published in Mexico as Callejón Sucre y otros relatos (Ediciones del Azar, 1994), this edition contains a profound English translation by John Pluecker. The seven stories included in this collection interweave the opposing themes of solitude and connectedness, longing and privilege, fear and audacity, all of which are juxtaposed on the boundary of self-awareness.

EL LABORATORIO PRESENTS MARIO ACEVEDO AND AARON ABEYTA
El Lab is a center for the Latino literary arts presented by The Lab at Belmar. El Laboratorio is proud to host some of Colorado's most acclaimed Latino writers, artist and scholars for literary workshops, public readings and conversations. El Laboratorio aims to be a true laboratory, where all audiences can experiment and gain insight into the ways Latino culture is changing the landscape of the United States.

March 15: Aaron Abeyta and Mario Acevedo; 6 PM reception, 6:30 PM program. Aaron Abeyta will read from his book of poetry As Orion Falls and his novel, Rise, Do Not Be Afraid. Mario Acevedo will read from The Undead Kama Sutra, third in the Felix Gomez vampire detective series. Now that's diversity.

$10 - $5 members. The Lab is in Belmar, 404 S. Upham, Lakewood, CO; 303-934-1777.


COMEDY OF ERRORS
The Comedy of Errors
by William Shakespeare
February 28–March 1
March 6–8
7:30pm
King Center Rawls Courtyard Theatre, Auraria Campus, Denver
Tickets: $12 General Admission
$5 UC Denver students
Sponsored by: Theatre, Film and Video Production Department

José Mercado, new Assistant Professor of the Theatre, Film & Video Production Department, directs this comedy "as if it were set in the world of Tim Burton, with bustling, haunting, and mystical action" according to a publicity release. The Comedy of Errors is a story of mistaken identity and family reunion. Confusion, mischief and familial squabbling abound…all in a single day.

Prior to joining the UC Denver faculty, Mercado led the theater program at North High School, directing Zoot Suit Riots, the first high school production to play DCPA’s Buell Theater. He worked as an actor in LA after earning his MFA in Theater from UCLA where he won the Jack Nicholson Prize in Acting. He is the founder of Labyrinth Arts Academy and member of the Denver Commission of Cultural Affairs (an advisory board to the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs).

Later.

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