'bout ye

Oh dear, it had to happen, we lost the car!!!!! Well Val parked it so SHE lost the car!!!!!!!!!

Anyway lets get the story up to date, we arrived in Portland to take part in the volunteering at the soup kitchen. We couldn't find our way so we asked a local gentleman for directions, he was very knowledgeable, even was able to tell us the opening times (6 thru 7 Monday to Friday, it's a good dinner). It turns out he was one of the regulars, only we could stop a homeless person and ask him the way to a homeless resource centre!!!!

So Val wanted to park in a parking lot near the centre but we weren't sure if it was legal and didn't want to get locked in, I stopped her from parking illegally on the street "they'll tow us away" I thought...fanous last thoughts.... So we parked beside some cars in front of a housing block.

The soup kitchen volnuteering went very well, some of the regular helpers praised the politeness of the NI young people and asked me to pass it on. So congratulations to you all, you did yourselves proud. Thank you to Mary Gordon for inviting us.

After we had finished we had a date at the Boisseneaults for dinner so Naomi, Cheri, Val and I made our way to the car....but there was NO CAR!!!!!!! I thought Val had hidden it but then one of the residents from the housing block told us it had just been towed away. Apparently we needed a permit to park there...oooopppppssss. The phone number on the signs was incorrect so the guy helped us get the right number and another lady from the house helped too. Thanks to them all and to Kate from the soup kitchen we made it to the Towing company just as our car arrived. $65 later we had it back, thanks to Kate and Larry for helping to pay, it was really unneccessary but very much appreciated. Larry even lead us back onto Route 5 so we could get home to the Boisseneaults. Hey what would this trip be like if it wasn't for our car stories!!!!

Dinner was fun but late (we are so sorry Liz and Kevin). We got to learn that they keep the girls working hard, during the day they have to work in the garden,

and at night they have to work in the bar

Dinner was Kevin's Steak and Guinness pie...delicious and dessert was Liz's white chocolate popcorn...I love DESSERTS!!!!!!!! Long live the dessert making side of America.

Here are the "twins" with their host parents and host grandparents(who have been looking after them when Kevin and Liz are working) around the Titanic bell.

Lix is very interested in the Titanic and has a large collection of memorabilia, here are the girls around some of it,

Liz works in a Radio station and has invited everyone to visit her there on Thursday 21st July at 1030. This is before our volunteering at the Maine Irish Heritage Centre so we can make it a good day out. Contact Liz for details of how to get there, check the host family handbook for contact details.

more blog soon

Everybody's going surfing and doesn't half of Maine know about it thanks to the TV News Crew who turned up. Great interview Marty "it's about Catholics and Protestants coming together now"...now? what now! but I was just about to have a swim!!!!!! Seriously Marty you came across well and as for the surfing skills everyone demonstrated, well as the newscaster said (rather sarcastically) "I hope they don't turn pro"

Brian made a point about how to carry a surf board correctly, so for all those who don't know (or didn't listen) here you go...

I love the off-the-shoulder wetsuit look Brian, let's see if it catches on in the surf capitals of the world. Justin doesn't seem to have mastered either the look or the carry but it still looks good to me.

Whereas Marty likes to go for his TV interview pose,

Everyone else likes to use the boards in the water (do you think the guys missed part of the lesson!!!)

After surfing on the 12th I received my first parking ticket!!!!! 3 years in America and my first ticket, how was I supposed to know you needed a permit. Well we went on to Stacey's host family (the Vennells) great dinner, although I managed to resist Larry's many offers of Moxie. Val rated the Moxie as extra strength cough mixture. They even do a diet variety..what's the point, all that taste without the benefit of sugar!!!

After dinner we were invited to their church to give a talk and have dessert. Imagine my fun when I saw the poster advertising the event,

so while Val did her talk I had loads of time for dessert, and what mighty fine desserts they were

Stacey decided to take a very special seat in the church as it's owner hadn't turned up

just take a look at the name plate on the seat...and don't tell him Stacey was using it!!!

The evening finished perfectly in Kennebunkport when Stacey's host sister Sheila (who is coming to study at Queen's University Belfast in the autumn) took us on a horse and carriage ride around the town.

Thats Sheila and Stacey sitting up front but I forgot to take a picturre of the horse, his name was Tiny and he has been trained to do all his toilet business in a specific manhole along the way, what a clever horse. (who said this blog wasn't educational)

After more surfing on July 13 we went home with Chrissy and his host family the Klings. His host sister Sara was so concerned about Chrissy missing the 11th night bonfires that she made him a cake and a nice card and decorated his room with some nice balloons (she even looked up flags on the internet so that she got the right coloured ballons). As you can see from the picture she made a little error!!!!!

This is Chrissy with his posse, Sara, Paula (his host mum) and Erika (his other host sister). We had a fun time with the Klings, dinner was excellent once more and it was great to hear of Sara's 5 months at school in England. The Klings are heading up to a lake in Fryeburg next week so Chrissy gets to relax up there for a few days. Lets hope they don't use Sara as a navigator, apparently after a recent trip to Boston they ended up taking 4 hours (or 4 days as Chrissy likes to say) to get home having gone via every major(and minor) city in New Hampshire. I've no doubt that Chrissy's kind comments made every minute of those 4 hours an absolute delight!!!!.

more blog soon