From 1.6 billion people to 100

I'll have to check the actual statistics because while I am sure about the population of China with its small towns like Xian, population 8 million, I'm not as sure about the real stats for the island of chebeague, right off the coast of maine withs lobster fisherman. There is a number for winter and summer.

I'm sorry that I didn't have my brand new computer with me on this trip and every day I've been thinking about posting about the simple and delicious pleasures of our life on Chebeague where Kate and I have been spending one or more weeks every year since she was 3 years old. Grandma Dot has rented a wonderful-awful house on Aarons Wharf Road with a great view of an madly untrimmed meadow and the red/white/ and blue Casco Bay Line boat that plies the Bay. Kate has always called it "My Boat" because she knew that that was the way she could go home.

The rental house is ramshackle and tilted with doors that don't close properly and windows that sag. But it also has a claw foot tub on the second floor that looks out over this meadow of wild flowers with the bay in the distance.Iit's been my morning ritual to sit in the tub with the windows opening on chilly Maine mornings and watch the vapor rising from the rapidly cooling bath water and just feel enormously contented. Usually Kate is downstairs with Dorothy and I am happy to hear the hum of their voices in animated conversation.

This summer Nick Wessel, the owner of the property, announced that he had finally sold the house to a Harvard type. Good luck to her because I think there are all manner of problems just lurking in the house. No, not sour grapes because we have so enjoyed the house and being in Maine. I can't say that I am a Maine fanatic because I'm far too fond of my creature comforts and actually like to swim when it's hot, but increasinly I am a big fan of Chebeague. So much so that when I heard that the house had been sold, I got busy researching a house for us to rent next year and have Grandma Dot as our guest! I have to make that decision by January.

When we first came up to Maine, there was a swing hanging from a tree in the backyard and when we could get Kate to go outside -- too many bugs, Mommy -- by herself, then she would install herself in the swing and be amused for hours. Painting with Dorothy was another happy pastime and the summer that Arnie came up with us, they painted together. We told Arnie that there was Nothing to do. No bars, no restaurants, no stores. Nothing to do. So Arnie did the intelligent thing which was to transport books, cigars and good scotch along with a very warm sweater. He had a good time. I think that was the summer that the Inn didn't want locals to patronize the restaurant at the Inn. I remember that we tried to make a reservation for dinner and they wouldn't let us do it. We walked up there and actually saw the empty restautant which the staff was totally booked. They went BK. This summer he was too busy with the AM C to take off for a week but next summer looks to be better in terms of scheduling a vacation there.

Every year Kate has had her birthday in Maine and it's always been deliciously low key. Anna Hamilton has been the constant Birthday guest and participated in Pin the Tail on the donkey, Statues and other real kid birthday activities. A cake with candles to blow out has been essential along with some presents. This year one of Kate's best presents, although not exactly labeled a birthday present, was the freedom to take off on her bike in the morning and came and go around the island as she chose. This is the freedom that people write books about and kids who live in New York City rarely experience. It was great for her. And it was great for me. I could clean up after breakfast and then tuck myself into an Adirondack chair with a book resting on my lap and consider the cloud formations until it was time to busy myself with preparing lunch.

Really heaven.