Stop #4: Portland, ME

 

For those who don't know the story, here it is: Sila's normal camp cancelled about six weeks before it was supposed to start. Now this is not your run-of-the-mill camp, where crazy individuals decide that running an overnight camp would be a good idea and decide to do it. No, Sila's camp (Mondamin, which he has attended for two years...maybe three?) is an all-boys, non-denominational camp that's been around for over one-hundred years! And you want to know why they cancelled? Damn college kids (said with love in my hearts because I teach college). No, not really...I guess. Basically they had to cancel because they didn't have enough staff to run it. See what I mean--damn college kids (and all they're parents who don't want their kids to work in the summer; PSA: your 18-22 working during the summer and the school year is a good thing. They're only going to do drugs and get into trouble at your house.)!

Where does that leave the Griffins, then? Well, scrambling to find a replacement. Little did I know, there are people who get paid to do this research! Sheesh. Sila's camp buddy's mom, who lives in Manhattan and presumably has more money than we do (not hard), hired a "camp finder" person to do what I did--for FREE. Anyway, at the end of the day, we picked a new camp for the year: Camp Kawanhee. This fabulously expensive new camp is in upstate Maine, so guess who had to get Sila there? Me! But, I am not on pick-up duty, so there's that.

Okay, camp. It's fancy; it's smancy. And it's far from SW Florida--like maybe the farthest you can get. So after a flight from Asheville to LGA, we landed in Portland, ME, just in time to spend $17 for parking (for two hours!) and $170 dollars for a room in a house. Read that sentence again. $170 in Morocco could have gotten us 5 nights accommodation. Anyway, after a dinner with Sila's camp buddy and folks (bless them; they paid), Sila and I took off for his camp. Only a short two-hour drive, and we're there. Pictures are below, and I think Sila's happy. Apparently, though, he didn't shower or brush his teeth for the first two days because he didn't unpack his bag. Y'all, again, pre-teen brain is real.

After an awkward and forceful exit from camp (by my son), I was then free!!!! It's been a long year with the boy. As usual, though, I have a friend where I'm at--Clare Bear Extraordinaire!! I met this wise, old soul in Kripalu last year, and we've stayed in contact ever since. Not only that, we've managed to have really deep back-and-forth email correspondences all year, exploring our own growth as humans and encouraging the other to do the same. It's pretty special, and I'm glad I got to see her.

Clare actually lives in NH, but her son goes to school in South Portland, so Clare made the drive down to show me some craggy beaches (my request) and some new spots in Portland. We had a fabulous time, and not only did I see lighthouses, but I saw a legit beach! Really. I didn't think it existed up in Maine (being a Floridian and all), but Clare insisted there was a real beach in Portland. I was wrong; she was right.

Don't you just love the picture above? I left my sunglasses in NC because I thought "there is no way I'll need them in Maine!" Boy was I wrong...for one day. After Clare headed back, I had one more full day to walk around--in all-day rain and cold. But, I did it. I meandered down by the docks to see some young lads on boats in just overalls, chatting over sea creatures, and pretending this was a warm summer day; I also did a bit of shopping and met a couple from Tampa who invited me to dinner. We ate at a Thai place and ended up in a brewery. Kind of apropos to my life. 

So here goes--you got a lot of the things I did already, so I'll write about what I took away from all of this: 

1. I love my solo time, and I feel I'm moving into balancing this all very nicely.
2. Clare and I talked about this, as well, and she had good insight (as always) to share: when in moments alone, check in, address how I'm feeling, act accordingly, and then move on to something new.
3. Portland yoga spaces are rad, and yoga--in general--makes me feel so good.
4. I want to create a yoga space (again) in my house.

There you go, folks! This list might not be profound, but it's a good one! Stay tuned for the next leg of my journey: Atlanta and Birmingham.