Santa came to Kittery...

It was an exciting day for all of us in Kittery when we got word that of all the towns in the entire world, Santa Claus (and his elves) had chosen OURS to visit for a Saturday afternoon! Wow! Needless to say, Kittery pulled out all the stops!


While the mood was generally lighthearted, including when the adorable junior high marching band chugged past...


...we received a sober reminder to wear our bike helmets from this slightly terrifying Kiwanis Club float. Or at least we think that's what the float was about.


Anyway, the mood quickly shifted back to cheeriness as the floats rolled on.


Folks were busily preparing for the arrival of Santa, even cleaning the chimneys before he had to slide down them.


And it was a good thing, because not even two minutes later, look who showed up!


Pretty soon, it was time to head over to the annual tree lighting ceremony. It was adorable and delicious (free hot chocolate and cookies for everyone in the town!)! And, unlike in many towns, our Christmas tree photo was photo-bombed by a holiday lobster! You almost don't even notice that Santa is busily lighting the tree.


Anyway, Merry Christmas from Badger's Island-we'll see you over the bridge in Portsmouth for part II of this series!

'Tis the Season!

It looks like while Charlotte was decorating the inside of our apartment, other folks had the same idea! These photos are from Cape Neddick, just up the road.

Happy Advent!

Thanksgiving is over! We hope your holidays were filled with friends, family, and food! We returned to Badger's Island from New York just earlier this evening, and already Charlotte has been hard at work ushering the season in! Now we're just wondering why it's 60 degrees, in Maine, in late November!

The bah

Well, after weeks anxiously awaiting this moment, Charlotte and I woke up early today for what will certainly be the highlight of my professional time here on the Seacoast. That's right-we went to the Bagel Caboose in Kittery! Despite driving by countless times, we had never ventured in, and once we did, we were delighted by what we found! The food was outstanding, the decor was sensational, and the chef had a phenomenal French accent (and a model train that he would turn on when children entered). What a treat to live near this gem!


Oh yeah-I also got sworn in to the state and federal courts here in New Hampshire. Now I am officially a lawyer, and officially a member of the New Hampshire bar (or "bah," as they say up here).


Look how close we were to the Supreme Court justices! You may not recognize their names (Duggan, Dalianos, etc, rather than Scalia, Roberts, etc.), but they are every bit as smart-and wrinkly!


Here I am, swearing to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, or something like that.


And here I am, outside the hallowed chambers.

Our Friend, Raffi

In case you aren't able to make it to Kittery in person in the near future, here is a glimpse of our new friend Raffi. Sure, he doesn't sing cute and memorable kid songs, but he does hide under rocks and bashfully emerge once in a while, stealing your heart in the process!


Also, in case you're not able to make it here in person, have a look at our reorganized living room. It is now extra-cozy, thanks to a very welcome rug. Weird carpet stains? What weird carpet stains?

While we regroup!

Charlotte and I have been busy feeding our pet fish, watching our pet fish, and commenting on how adorable Raffi the Catfish is, so we hope you'll understand that this has cut into our blog posting time considerably. While we regroup and prepare to present a new slate of blog posts, we figured we'd share the amazing before & after transformation we experienced at her childhood home in Otisville, NY this past weekend!





With any luck, it'll be several months before we see this happen again! And with any luck, it won't be several months before you see a blog update again! Have a great week!

Say 'ello to our little friends!

We decided that we had enough space in our apartment (and our hearts) for a few more friends after being inspired by the aquariums we saw in Otisville this past weekend at Charlotte's childhood home.


Since we live on an island, we elected for some (tasteful) island-themed decor. Luckily, Petco sells authentic Tiki head sculptures!



Yes there are red mollies (2), and yes there are neon tetras (3), but perhaps most excitingly, there is a Striped Raphael catfish named Raffi! Please send along your name suggestions for the other fish-if you wish!