Rollin' along

A roller coaster is often used to describe the ups and downs of life, but the image of a roller coaster for me right now is that moment when the car starts to climb that first immense hill...you look up and up and realize that there is no stopping until the ride is over.  Then, of course, you scream and laugh and have the time of your life!

My "roller coaster" of a life for Monday and early Tuesday included more packing and repacking of gear...attempting to make everything as compact as possible for portaging.  I am retiring my 10-year-old backpacking stove and yesterday tried out my new Optimus Crux Lite stove, which fits in its little cookset along with a 3.53 oz. can of the isobutane/propane mix fuel it uses.  Very cute and yet it blasts the flame when turned all the way up.  I will definitely make some coffee with it on our camping trip to Long Lake in Naples next week and give you the full field testing report.  Here are the contents of my cooking equipment bag...the to-do list still includes buying a tiny lighter and replacing the water filter cartridge with the brand-new one donated by my friends Steve and Kathy Maclachlan.

The photo below arrived just in time for submission to our local weekly paper, the Lincoln County News and I sent it off a little while ago, as we are trying to have something in the paper every week now.

Laurie Chandler (left), Youth and Family Minister at Second Congregational Church U.C.C. in Newcastle, recently shared her plans for Paddle for Hope with the church's Women's Fellowship at their May meeting.  The following Sunday, president Judy Jones (right) presented her with a $300 contribution from the group in support of her upcoming kayak trip across Maine to benefit the Maine Children's Cancer Program.  To date, Paddle for Hope fundraising totals $2,700 toward the goal of $10,000, all of which will be used for research, new equipment, and services at the Scarborough facility.

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